Wow, I haven't written since TUESDAY? Huh? How did that happen? The week went by so fast somehow even though I was working slowly, but surely, but not frantically at all. I thought several times this week that this felt like the first real week of summer--time to do what I wanted to do and not what I necessarily had to do.
Let's see, Wednesday I worked on cleaning out the big drawer by the stove that had many (10+) years of stuff accumulated. I took everything out, sorted much of it, and left some of it for Thursday. I also switched the basket with the pens for the other pen holder that was in the school room. A much-needed improvement. And I threw away a bunch of pens that didn't work anymore, pencils with dried-up erasers, and Sharpies that were lame. That took much of the day after a walk in the morning.
And I cooked dinner that night too. We took a meal to a family at church who had a baby, so Jeff grilled chicken, I made cheese potatoes for them and rice for us, green beans, muffins, strawberries. We took it to them before a church meeting that night. Their baby girl is adorable with lots of hair!!
Thursday I made myself finish the job from Wednesday. It was the less exciting part of finishing the sorting of the papers I wasn't sure what to do with, shredding old checks, etc. and then putting stuff away in a real spot. But I listened to Dave Ramsey while I did it, and as I was shredding the checks, I had fun looking to see where they were written to--mostly all the same places we shop at now. They were from 2002 and 2003. Giant Eagle, Marc's, Danceworks, piano lessons, bills for utilities. For some reason, it made me feel very thankful for how blessed we are that our situation has improved since then and not gotten harder or worse. Jeff has had a steady, good job all those years when many have struggled for the past several years. We really haven't had to spend a lot more on things since then--except the phone bill! Cell phones have added a much bigger expense than we had back then!
Thursday night we met with Anthony to hear about his work on campus. He is a very encouraging young man, and it was fun to spend the evening with him. It was cool to hear his story of how he got saved, involved in church on campus, and now is helping to lead too. Great when that happens!!
Friday, Abby and I cleaned the house after I took a walk earlier than usual because Greta wasn't sleeping well all night. It was very warm outside, and we had turned the AC on, but it's still warm upstairs even so. She was panting and moving around and just not letting me sleep soundly all night. So I gave up and got up and walked at 8am. After cleaning, we went to the bank and library (had to get more episodes of Gilmore Girls, ya know), and then had French bread pizzas for lunch. Abby had to work in the evening, so after having a QT, I got to chat with Kaite and skype with Hannah which was lovely!! Jeff and I had a candlelit grilled cheese (with ham for Jeff) dinner. Kind of nice to feel like lighting candles for a change because it was actually cloudy and rained!! We so needed the rain!!
Jeff caught up on the GG Abby and I had watched on Friday afternoon. In watching it the second time, I noticed in one scene Lorelai throws something at Luke's back to get his attention, and there was a spot on his shirt where she must have had to try it a few times! Funny!
Today was a very satisfying work day! Abby and I worked on her room from about 11am-5:30pm. We went through all of the closet stuff, the boxes under her bed, CDs, jewelry, drawers, etc. etc. etc. We got rid of things she doesn't use, and organized what she does, so it will be much easier now to actually paint her room. Hard to imagine what it will look like grey. I think it will be very peaceful! Especially with it being all cleaned out too.
After we tackle her room, we'll paint Hannah's/Kaite's yellow room. THAT will be a huge difference!
And while we were working on that, Jeff was being my hero and fixing our washer. He took it all apart, replaced the seal, and put it all together, and it works. He says he just followed the directions of the guy on the YouTube video, but still, it takes some serious work to do all that. Thanks, honey!
We got Chinese food for dinner which tasted so good because we were all very hungry--ate around 7pm. Jeff's taking a shower now, and then we'll watch some more GG. Abby is recording some of the Olympic trials too. Hard to believe that starts in a month! And Hannah will be home for some/most of it!!
Loved seeing Hannah's pictures today! Such cute kids and such encouragement it must be to them to have all those fun people to play with them. Praying for great fruit from their time there.
OK, that's it for now. More later!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
The Last of the Catch-Up Posts
I survived the dentist. The actual filling replacement wasn't that bad, but the numbness was really annoying. I went to the library and grocery store afterward and was mostly able to talk when I needed to, but I felt so dopey. Couldn't eat either, so I was very hungry about 4 hours later when I ate some cheese and crackers. But by dinner, which was frozen pizza with Abby in front of the TV watching Gilmore Girls, I could eat just fine thankfully.
We mostly just watched GG last evening--like four episodes I think, so since Jeff was golfing, he has to catch up tonight! :)
Today I slept in--it was the perfect sleeping weather last night--cool enough to use a blanket. Then I ironed and was going to go for a walk and Aldi after Abby left for work, but I remembered that if I left, "who would be home to sign for the packages?!" So, I hung around and did some sorting, straightening until the Fed Ex guy delivered Abby's camera! Yay! She's been waiting and very excited!
Then I went to get gas, to Marc's, and to Aldi. Home to take a walk and make dinner, a real dinner of RedHot chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, strawberries, and banana cc muffins. Nice to have some real food.
So that was our day. And I think I was on Wednesday of last week in my last post. Two more meetings on Wednesday morning, lunch, and more seminars in the afternoon. At some point we were able to talk to Joey who went to Honduras LT last year which was fun. And we got to try the awesome Casa Hogar coffee. We also got to meet GCEurope people and the Asia people too. There are many great things going on!
In the evening session we got an update from Europe, Asia, India, Dominican Republic leaders. Very amazing to see how much people have sacrificed to reach people with the gospel. And then John Hopler showed this video about Nicholas Winton during WW2. You can google it. And you'll get the connection in a room full of people who have devoted themselves to saving people's lives. A lot of convicting things--not making excuses for why we can't reach the world with the gospel. Much to think about.
We left the hotel around 7am or soon after on the shuttle for the airport. As we were herded along waiting to go through security, I said to Jeff, "You really like this?" Yes, yes, he does. Our flights went well as far as timing went, and we even got bagels in Chicago which we ate on the plane.
I was so very tired when we got home around 2pm. I fell asleep on the couch until Abby came home around 4pm. The rest of the evening is such a blur--except for when Jeff left to help Angie because she ran out of gas and Jason needed to take Derrick to "sporties for shorties" at the Y, so Jeff went to stay with the other 3 kiddos.
Friday was cleaning, laundry, and coffee with Kristen, and Kaite came home in the evening. Saturday was the wedding and Hailee's party. Another very busy weekend.
And Sunday we got to skype with Hannah, so now I think we're all caught up!! Whew!
We mostly just watched GG last evening--like four episodes I think, so since Jeff was golfing, he has to catch up tonight! :)
Today I slept in--it was the perfect sleeping weather last night--cool enough to use a blanket. Then I ironed and was going to go for a walk and Aldi after Abby left for work, but I remembered that if I left, "who would be home to sign for the packages?!" So, I hung around and did some sorting, straightening until the Fed Ex guy delivered Abby's camera! Yay! She's been waiting and very excited!
Then I went to get gas, to Marc's, and to Aldi. Home to take a walk and make dinner, a real dinner of RedHot chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, strawberries, and banana cc muffins. Nice to have some real food.
So that was our day. And I think I was on Wednesday of last week in my last post. Two more meetings on Wednesday morning, lunch, and more seminars in the afternoon. At some point we were able to talk to Joey who went to Honduras LT last year which was fun. And we got to try the awesome Casa Hogar coffee. We also got to meet GCEurope people and the Asia people too. There are many great things going on!
In the evening session we got an update from Europe, Asia, India, Dominican Republic leaders. Very amazing to see how much people have sacrificed to reach people with the gospel. And then John Hopler showed this video about Nicholas Winton during WW2. You can google it. And you'll get the connection in a room full of people who have devoted themselves to saving people's lives. A lot of convicting things--not making excuses for why we can't reach the world with the gospel. Much to think about.
We left the hotel around 7am or soon after on the shuttle for the airport. As we were herded along waiting to go through security, I said to Jeff, "You really like this?" Yes, yes, he does. Our flights went well as far as timing went, and we even got bagels in Chicago which we ate on the plane.
I was so very tired when we got home around 2pm. I fell asleep on the couch until Abby came home around 4pm. The rest of the evening is such a blur--except for when Jeff left to help Angie because she ran out of gas and Jason needed to take Derrick to "sporties for shorties" at the Y, so Jeff went to stay with the other 3 kiddos.
Friday was cleaning, laundry, and coffee with Kristen, and Kaite came home in the evening. Saturday was the wedding and Hailee's party. Another very busy weekend.
And Sunday we got to skype with Hannah, so now I think we're all caught up!! Whew!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Pastor's Conference Week Continued
I have a few minutes before I have to go to the dentist to get my filling fixed. I'm not looking forward to having a numb face, but I'm thankful I don't have to feel anything that hurts either!
It's cooler this morning and breezy--such lovely weather after a kind of hot and sticky Sunday. I went for a walk and watered the flowers since it hasn't rained for a week. After last summer of rain almost every day, this is very different, but kind of nice (except for the plants that need water.)
Jeff got called for work in the middle of the night, so he's still home at 10:45am and went back to sleep for a while this morning. But it sounds like he's up now.
I think I left off with Tuesday at the Pastor's Conference. We had 2 sessions in the morning and lunch then two seminar-type sessions with options to choose from in the afternoon, then dinner, then another evening session. WAY too much info to tell every detail, but I did like one pastor's thoughts about when Jehoshaphat was facing a huge army ready to attack them, he prayed in front of all the people and asked three questions in his prayer: Are you not...? Did you not...? and Will you not...?
Basically, we first need to remember who God is and when we do, our enemies and problems shrink back to where they belong. And then we need to remember what God has done in the past and all the ways He's worked in amazing ways in our lives and in the world. And then that helps us to see that God will act and work in amazing ways in our current situation as well.
He had some very amazing stories of how God had acted--one time their church was in debt, and it was very distressing to him, so he prayed for God to give them $50,000 one day. Their debt was a little over $25,000. He got really excited when the mail came and went out and got it, and sure enough, there was a check for....$5.00. He said to God, "Um, I wrote more zeros after that 5!"
But later in the day, he had a meeting with a man who had attended their church a few times and whose wife attended more regularly. The man asked if the church had any debt and exactly how much. Then he said, "Well, we don't have debt anymore." And wrote a check for the exact amount to pay it off completely. The pastor keeps a copy of the check in his Bible to remind him of how God works!
And he said that the skeptics are wondering where the rest of the money he asked for is, but he was very content and blown away by God meeting the exact amount!
And Tuesday evening was really good too. One of the pastors shared about their family situation and how several of their children aren't following the Lord and may not be saved. It was very hard for him to share it, but it was very important to show that adult children make their own decisions, and as much as parents try very hard to do everything right for our kids, we make mistakes, and then they do too. He also has hope though that God will work in his kids' lives, and there will be changes in the future. And they have several children who are following the Lord who were raised in the same way as the older ones--parenting isn't what saves our children. God's mercy is what saves our children. That is true for all of us!
We had dinner on Tuesday with Fred and Christine who were friends in BG many years ago. Christine was one of my very first roommates with Wendy and Theresa during the first summer I stayed in BG. They had us cracking up with their stories. They don't look like especially funny people or like they lead a terribly interesting life. He's tall, thin with white hair, and he's always looked a little sleepy. He's soft-spoken and extremely kind-hearted. She is full of energy, laughs loudly, super-efficient and able to handle any crisis, and knows how to do everything domestic.
They told us how they got engaged, how Fred delivered one of their children on the way to the hospital in the car, and about when she was on bed rest for 6 weeks after the birth of their 6th child and had a bunch of college students stay with them unexpectedly! Oh my! Such adventures--not the kind I would choose!
OK, need to go get ready for the dentist, so I'm off!
It's cooler this morning and breezy--such lovely weather after a kind of hot and sticky Sunday. I went for a walk and watered the flowers since it hasn't rained for a week. After last summer of rain almost every day, this is very different, but kind of nice (except for the plants that need water.)
Jeff got called for work in the middle of the night, so he's still home at 10:45am and went back to sleep for a while this morning. But it sounds like he's up now.
I think I left off with Tuesday at the Pastor's Conference. We had 2 sessions in the morning and lunch then two seminar-type sessions with options to choose from in the afternoon, then dinner, then another evening session. WAY too much info to tell every detail, but I did like one pastor's thoughts about when Jehoshaphat was facing a huge army ready to attack them, he prayed in front of all the people and asked three questions in his prayer: Are you not...? Did you not...? and Will you not...?
Basically, we first need to remember who God is and when we do, our enemies and problems shrink back to where they belong. And then we need to remember what God has done in the past and all the ways He's worked in amazing ways in our lives and in the world. And then that helps us to see that God will act and work in amazing ways in our current situation as well.
He had some very amazing stories of how God had acted--one time their church was in debt, and it was very distressing to him, so he prayed for God to give them $50,000 one day. Their debt was a little over $25,000. He got really excited when the mail came and went out and got it, and sure enough, there was a check for....$5.00. He said to God, "Um, I wrote more zeros after that 5!"
But later in the day, he had a meeting with a man who had attended their church a few times and whose wife attended more regularly. The man asked if the church had any debt and exactly how much. Then he said, "Well, we don't have debt anymore." And wrote a check for the exact amount to pay it off completely. The pastor keeps a copy of the check in his Bible to remind him of how God works!
And he said that the skeptics are wondering where the rest of the money he asked for is, but he was very content and blown away by God meeting the exact amount!
And Tuesday evening was really good too. One of the pastors shared about their family situation and how several of their children aren't following the Lord and may not be saved. It was very hard for him to share it, but it was very important to show that adult children make their own decisions, and as much as parents try very hard to do everything right for our kids, we make mistakes, and then they do too. He also has hope though that God will work in his kids' lives, and there will be changes in the future. And they have several children who are following the Lord who were raised in the same way as the older ones--parenting isn't what saves our children. God's mercy is what saves our children. That is true for all of us!
We had dinner on Tuesday with Fred and Christine who were friends in BG many years ago. Christine was one of my very first roommates with Wendy and Theresa during the first summer I stayed in BG. They had us cracking up with their stories. They don't look like especially funny people or like they lead a terribly interesting life. He's tall, thin with white hair, and he's always looked a little sleepy. He's soft-spoken and extremely kind-hearted. She is full of energy, laughs loudly, super-efficient and able to handle any crisis, and knows how to do everything domestic.
They told us how they got engaged, how Fred delivered one of their children on the way to the hospital in the car, and about when she was on bed rest for 6 weeks after the birth of their 6th child and had a bunch of college students stay with them unexpectedly! Oh my! Such adventures--not the kind I would choose!
OK, need to go get ready for the dentist, so I'm off!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Last week: Monday and part of Tuesday
A week since I last blogged. How fast did that week go? Zip, zip, zip!
It was a good week looking back, but it was hard at times too. Let's see, Monday was packing and leaving for the Pastor's Conference in St. Louis. I was stressed about flying--I just don't like the toll it takes on my head with the noise, motion sickness potential, pressure changes that mess up my sinuses and give me a headache. Not to mention (though I will), the too-closeness of other people for my comfort level. We sat behind a large family headed to Jordan in the waiting area in Cleveland and got bumped and jiggled before we even got on the plane. As we were waiting to board, I saw lightning in the distance too. :( And the little kids of the large family sat behind Jeff and I--his little girl fell fast asleep, but my little boy kept bumping and kicking my seat. It really didn't matter since the plane was bumping around too, and the dad apologized at the end of the flight. Just funny...
We had enough time to get to our planes, but not enough time to eat--at least not long enough for me to eat and digest enough to fly again. And we got to the hotel right on schedule to check in and take our stuff to the room and get to the meeting on time, but, alas, no time to eat. So by 9:30 pm CST/10:30 pm EST I was STARVING!! Thankfully, the Coopers had driven and had brought lots of snacks--healthy food that met the need: apples, grapes, healthy muffins, string cheese, carrots, celery. It was enough to allow me to fall asleep.
Tuesday, I was really looking forward to eating a real breakfast, but, foiled again...
The hotel staff had been thinking that breakfast was 7-8am, but our conference schedule said 7-8:30am, so when we got there at 8:10am, they had only one line for food and a very long line of people. Just when we got up there after waiting for a long time, the eggs ran out, the fruit ran out...And so we waited again. But eventually, we had eggs, bacon, fruit and felt like we would make it!
It took me all day to feel like I was catching up on the calorie situation from Monday. A very fun thing that came of the lukewarm coffee that was on the table on Tuesday morning, was that I decided to get a mocha at the hotel Starbucks. She accidentally made it with caffeine, so she gave us the caff one and the decaf ones both, so Jeff and I both had some of each. Like buy one get one free!!
OK, that's good for now. Jeff and I are going for a walk. The whole week is too much to write in one post. I'll keep working on it as I have time. So nice to skype with Hannah today! So great to see her sweet, smiling face!!
It was a good week looking back, but it was hard at times too. Let's see, Monday was packing and leaving for the Pastor's Conference in St. Louis. I was stressed about flying--I just don't like the toll it takes on my head with the noise, motion sickness potential, pressure changes that mess up my sinuses and give me a headache. Not to mention (though I will), the too-closeness of other people for my comfort level. We sat behind a large family headed to Jordan in the waiting area in Cleveland and got bumped and jiggled before we even got on the plane. As we were waiting to board, I saw lightning in the distance too. :( And the little kids of the large family sat behind Jeff and I--his little girl fell fast asleep, but my little boy kept bumping and kicking my seat. It really didn't matter since the plane was bumping around too, and the dad apologized at the end of the flight. Just funny...
We had enough time to get to our planes, but not enough time to eat--at least not long enough for me to eat and digest enough to fly again. And we got to the hotel right on schedule to check in and take our stuff to the room and get to the meeting on time, but, alas, no time to eat. So by 9:30 pm CST/10:30 pm EST I was STARVING!! Thankfully, the Coopers had driven and had brought lots of snacks--healthy food that met the need: apples, grapes, healthy muffins, string cheese, carrots, celery. It was enough to allow me to fall asleep.
Tuesday, I was really looking forward to eating a real breakfast, but, foiled again...
The hotel staff had been thinking that breakfast was 7-8am, but our conference schedule said 7-8:30am, so when we got there at 8:10am, they had only one line for food and a very long line of people. Just when we got up there after waiting for a long time, the eggs ran out, the fruit ran out...And so we waited again. But eventually, we had eggs, bacon, fruit and felt like we would make it!
It took me all day to feel like I was catching up on the calorie situation from Monday. A very fun thing that came of the lukewarm coffee that was on the table on Tuesday morning, was that I decided to get a mocha at the hotel Starbucks. She accidentally made it with caffeine, so she gave us the caff one and the decaf ones both, so Jeff and I both had some of each. Like buy one get one free!!
OK, that's good for now. Jeff and I are going for a walk. The whole week is too much to write in one post. I'll keep working on it as I have time. So nice to skype with Hannah today! So great to see her sweet, smiling face!!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Father's Day
Got to skype with Hannah today, so not much needs to be said here. But I was thinking of that verse that says, "Like cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant land." (Proverbs 25:25) It is true that seeing Hannah's face and talking to her, even over a not-great-connection on skype, and hearing that she is doing OK is refreshing! Praying for a mission, purpose, and direction that are meaningful and enjoyable, and for grace to do the parts of the trip that are more difficult. Especially the being with people all the time--that is draining for an introvert. And for good times with the Lord because, even when you are serving Him, sometimes it's time with Him that is the hardest to come by--when you're dead tired after a long day. We love you, Hannah, and are praying for you!!
Had a good day for Father's Day and feel so blessed that my daughters get to have such a great and marvelous dad. What an amazing gift Jeff is to all of us! We are thankful!
Went to church and J, A, K did music, then home for grilled chicken and salmon, rice, veggies, fruit, muffins, frozen fruit. Jeff opened his presents (lots of new t-shirts, so he can get rid of some old ones!!) and then we played Bananagrams, ate pie, and did some laundry. Too soon it was time for Kaite to leave.
It actually rained here quite a bit today, and we even saw a rainbow this evening. Our poor grass and plants really needed it!
I started working on stuff for the week ahead and after some work, we watched Gilmore Girls, ate some dinner, walked, and watched GG again. Now I must head to bed. It was tortuous to wake up this morning, and yet I still never want to go to bed when it's time. But I need to so that I can get a full, restful night's sleep--hopefully a full 8 hours!
So, until next time, dear readers!
Had a good day for Father's Day and feel so blessed that my daughters get to have such a great and marvelous dad. What an amazing gift Jeff is to all of us! We are thankful!
Went to church and J, A, K did music, then home for grilled chicken and salmon, rice, veggies, fruit, muffins, frozen fruit. Jeff opened his presents (lots of new t-shirts, so he can get rid of some old ones!!) and then we played Bananagrams, ate pie, and did some laundry. Too soon it was time for Kaite to leave.
It actually rained here quite a bit today, and we even saw a rainbow this evening. Our poor grass and plants really needed it!
I started working on stuff for the week ahead and after some work, we watched Gilmore Girls, ate some dinner, walked, and watched GG again. Now I must head to bed. It was tortuous to wake up this morning, and yet I still never want to go to bed when it's time. But I need to so that I can get a full, restful night's sleep--hopefully a full 8 hours!
So, until next time, dear readers!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Guest Post by K8 (Best read at high speeds)
Saturday
Kaite (me!) came home this morning and while Abby worked from 8-2, Mom Dad and Kaite went for a walk, talked about life, and made bcc muffins and a cherry/raspberry pie. Then Abby got home and Dad tried to pretend that the smoothie she had gotten was for him...while really she had gotten him Mtn Dew. It turned into a slushy by dinnertime.
Oh I almost forgot the adventure of the new iced tea maker! THAT'S what we did all morning!
1. Always make sure you put the d in iced tea.
2. Free stuff from a guy at work who moved is great.
3. If it's missing a part it might be confusing.
Dad found the manual for this iced tea maker online so we could figure out how many teabags to use and how to use it and that's when we discovered it was missing a lid. A picture would be helpful here, but I'm not Abby. It's like this white carafe-lookin' thing that heats up water and spits it out into a part that looks like the thing you put the filter in in a coffee maker. That little baskety thing sits inside a pitcher that you fill up with ice. The adventure part of it was that there was a little spot on the side that looked like the water should go in it...but it didn't go through to the rest of the basket so it started leaking everywhere because it only held like a tablespoon of water. So we were deeply confused about the utility of this little spot but we decided it's probably a place to insert something for the lid that we were missing. It made really great iced tea once we figured it out though. I didn't like iced tea last time I had it and the funny thing was, it tasted exactly like I remembered but this time I liked it!
So then we played bananagrams really epically even without the Ch-han-mpion. And all crashed on the same round. Then we watched an episode of "GG" and Dad and I then fell asleep while Mom made dinner: chicken with mushroomstomatoesandgreenpeppers on top, roasted potatoes (regular and sweet), and stirfried veggies. Strawberries, blueberries, and bcc muffins rounded it out.
Then we went to Target to get a bulb for my taillight that went out this morning on the way home. They didn't have them, but we picked up a couple more things for Dad and then went to Wal-Mart as well. Tried to get Sherlock 2 but the redbox didn't have it yet.
Nick called while I helped Dad put the back of my car back together(/watched) and Dad just opened his presents and Mom likes it when you comment just so you know.
Love you and hope this was reasonably informative and relatively entertaining. Now Dad's digging himself in a hole about how many dogs Mom will have to hold to walk on his back and be as effective as Abby. Pie and a movie are next up. Also, Abby and I have been singing (ok, mostly I have been singing) It'll Rain from Bruno Mars. Mom doesn't have enough dogs so I need to walk on Dad now. =)
PS: You got the good daughter fb birthday award. =)
From Mom: Thought you might like a change of writing style since K8 was here to accommodate and she adds details I don't think of! :)
Kaite (me!) came home this morning and while Abby worked from 8-2, Mom Dad and Kaite went for a walk, talked about life, and made bcc muffins and a cherry/raspberry pie. Then Abby got home and Dad tried to pretend that the smoothie she had gotten was for him...while really she had gotten him Mtn Dew. It turned into a slushy by dinnertime.
Oh I almost forgot the adventure of the new iced tea maker! THAT'S what we did all morning!
1. Always make sure you put the d in iced tea.
2. Free stuff from a guy at work who moved is great.
3. If it's missing a part it might be confusing.
Dad found the manual for this iced tea maker online so we could figure out how many teabags to use and how to use it and that's when we discovered it was missing a lid. A picture would be helpful here, but I'm not Abby. It's like this white carafe-lookin' thing that heats up water and spits it out into a part that looks like the thing you put the filter in in a coffee maker. That little baskety thing sits inside a pitcher that you fill up with ice. The adventure part of it was that there was a little spot on the side that looked like the water should go in it...but it didn't go through to the rest of the basket so it started leaking everywhere because it only held like a tablespoon of water. So we were deeply confused about the utility of this little spot but we decided it's probably a place to insert something for the lid that we were missing. It made really great iced tea once we figured it out though. I didn't like iced tea last time I had it and the funny thing was, it tasted exactly like I remembered but this time I liked it!
So then we played bananagrams really epically even without the Ch-han-mpion. And all crashed on the same round. Then we watched an episode of "GG" and Dad and I then fell asleep while Mom made dinner: chicken with mushroomstomatoesandgreenpeppers on top, roasted potatoes (regular and sweet), and stirfried veggies. Strawberries, blueberries, and bcc muffins rounded it out.
Then we went to Target to get a bulb for my taillight that went out this morning on the way home. They didn't have them, but we picked up a couple more things for Dad and then went to Wal-Mart as well. Tried to get Sherlock 2 but the redbox didn't have it yet.
Nick called while I helped Dad put the back of my car back together(/watched) and Dad just opened his presents and Mom likes it when you comment just so you know.
Love you and hope this was reasonably informative and relatively entertaining. Now Dad's digging himself in a hole about how many dogs Mom will have to hold to walk on his back and be as effective as Abby. Pie and a movie are next up. Also, Abby and I have been singing (ok, mostly I have been singing) It'll Rain from Bruno Mars. Mom doesn't have enough dogs so I need to walk on Dad now. =)
PS: You got the good daughter fb birthday award. =)
From Mom: Thought you might like a change of writing style since K8 was here to accommodate and she adds details I don't think of! :)
Friday, June 15, 2012
End of the Week Wrap-Up
Even though no one has commented on my recent blogs (boo hoo, tear, tear), I will still keep writing them in the hopes that Hannah reads them sometime and can keep up on home stuff! (And Kaite too even though she's been home every weekend!) :)
Thursday was a major shopping day--for Jeff's birthday and for groceries too. Went to Goodwill for 35% off day, to the thrift store, to Aldi, and to GE. It was tiring, but well worth the effort! Can't say exactly what I got 'cause Jeff hasn't opened his presents yet! (And he's reading over my shoulder right now!)
I made dinner quickly on Thursday after Abby and I watched a Gilmore Girls episode, then I went to Panera with Angie and Alycia. And actually, Jeff went to the same one with Isaiah. But we didn't ride together because he was mowing the grass until the very last minute, showered, and ate, and I didn't think he'd ever get ready in time, so I said I'd ride with Angie. As it turns out, he got there before we did because he's a driving pro and didn't get behind a truck like Angie. :)
We sat outside after Panera closed and kept chatting until about 10:30pm, so I got to bed very late. It was kind of funny though: when I ordered my decaf cafe mocha with non-fat milk, the guy who was starting to make it poured milk straight from the container into the cup without steaming it. When I said, "Is that milk heated?" (and knew the answer was obviously "no") he said, "Oh, no. Sorry. They're just training me." So then he took the metal cup that he was supposed to steam the milk in, and started putting chocolate syrup into that. Justine was working and said, "Whatcha doing, Joe?" and he realized he goofed again. Poor guy--off to wash that out. Justine just made my mocha for me at that point. I could be really understanding though because I know what it's like (from you all) to be new at Panera!
Today was a work-at-home day--cleaning, laundry, bank stuff, getting Jeff's presents ready. Tired, but glad to have all of that done.
Tonight we're planning to get Chipotle for dinner, since it's Jeff's birthday, and Kaite isn't coming home until tomorrow morning (Chipotle's not her favorite!). Abby worked 8am-2pm, went for frozen yogurt after that, and swimming a little too.
Maybe we can watch a "guy movie" tonight instead of making Jeff watch "GG" with us!
It's warm today, but breezy--no AC yet, but it's supposed to be hot for the next several days, so we'll see. It's only the middle of June, but our grass is brown and dry already. So little rain and so many hot days. And not much chance of rain in the forecast. No "rainy season" here!
Well, off to eat and celebrate with Jeff and Abby! We miss Hannah being here with us to celebrate, but know we'll have lots of time to have fun when she gets home. We just got an invitation to a graduation party the day before she gets home, so it can't be that far away, right?? :)
Thursday was a major shopping day--for Jeff's birthday and for groceries too. Went to Goodwill for 35% off day, to the thrift store, to Aldi, and to GE. It was tiring, but well worth the effort! Can't say exactly what I got 'cause Jeff hasn't opened his presents yet! (And he's reading over my shoulder right now!)
I made dinner quickly on Thursday after Abby and I watched a Gilmore Girls episode, then I went to Panera with Angie and Alycia. And actually, Jeff went to the same one with Isaiah. But we didn't ride together because he was mowing the grass until the very last minute, showered, and ate, and I didn't think he'd ever get ready in time, so I said I'd ride with Angie. As it turns out, he got there before we did because he's a driving pro and didn't get behind a truck like Angie. :)
We sat outside after Panera closed and kept chatting until about 10:30pm, so I got to bed very late. It was kind of funny though: when I ordered my decaf cafe mocha with non-fat milk, the guy who was starting to make it poured milk straight from the container into the cup without steaming it. When I said, "Is that milk heated?" (and knew the answer was obviously "no") he said, "Oh, no. Sorry. They're just training me." So then he took the metal cup that he was supposed to steam the milk in, and started putting chocolate syrup into that. Justine was working and said, "Whatcha doing, Joe?" and he realized he goofed again. Poor guy--off to wash that out. Justine just made my mocha for me at that point. I could be really understanding though because I know what it's like (from you all) to be new at Panera!
Today was a work-at-home day--cleaning, laundry, bank stuff, getting Jeff's presents ready. Tired, but glad to have all of that done.
Tonight we're planning to get Chipotle for dinner, since it's Jeff's birthday, and Kaite isn't coming home until tomorrow morning (Chipotle's not her favorite!). Abby worked 8am-2pm, went for frozen yogurt after that, and swimming a little too.
Maybe we can watch a "guy movie" tonight instead of making Jeff watch "GG" with us!
It's warm today, but breezy--no AC yet, but it's supposed to be hot for the next several days, so we'll see. It's only the middle of June, but our grass is brown and dry already. So little rain and so many hot days. And not much chance of rain in the forecast. No "rainy season" here!
Well, off to eat and celebrate with Jeff and Abby! We miss Hannah being here with us to celebrate, but know we'll have lots of time to have fun when she gets home. We just got an invitation to a graduation party the day before she gets home, so it can't be that far away, right?? :)
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Karen Girl Visit Day
The weather today was lovely. It was super-cool overnight--so much so that Jeff had to close windows during the night. And it was about 70ish and sunny all day.
I walked this morning, then I went and picked up the Karen girls. I hadn't really heard for sure from anyone except EDD and EDP, but as I was leaving, Ehler had called and said she would come too. I was taking the Honda, so when Ehne Thau and Be Bin came too, there was some squishing going on, but we made it work.
They seemed a little unsure of what to do, since they haven't been here for a while. Abby read some of the new Andrew Clements book called Troublemaker to all of us while I made lunch. They said they missed my cooking which is extremely kind since I always make the same thing. And they did eat every single bit of the soup and most of the rice--and they made a pretty good dent in that giant bag of BBQ chips from Abby's party.
Then after we ate, Abby took Ehler to Target to print some pictures of graduation, then we watched "School of Rock" which always surprises me as a really good movie--Jack Black is pretty amazing at times! During the movie they made jewelry and such.
They had to be home by 5pm, so by 4:30pm we left. The traffic was crazy coming home!
I made quiche for dinner, Abby got a last-minute invite to go to dinner and shopping with Sally, and Jeff and I went for another walk after dinner.
I also made a chocolate pie when I was making dinner, so after Abby got home, we ate that and are watching Gilmore Girls. And that about covers today!
Planning to do some more birthday shopping for Jeff tomorrow, plus the laundry too.
So, since that really does cover today, I guess that will do for this post.
I walked this morning, then I went and picked up the Karen girls. I hadn't really heard for sure from anyone except EDD and EDP, but as I was leaving, Ehler had called and said she would come too. I was taking the Honda, so when Ehne Thau and Be Bin came too, there was some squishing going on, but we made it work.
They seemed a little unsure of what to do, since they haven't been here for a while. Abby read some of the new Andrew Clements book called Troublemaker to all of us while I made lunch. They said they missed my cooking which is extremely kind since I always make the same thing. And they did eat every single bit of the soup and most of the rice--and they made a pretty good dent in that giant bag of BBQ chips from Abby's party.
Then after we ate, Abby took Ehler to Target to print some pictures of graduation, then we watched "School of Rock" which always surprises me as a really good movie--Jack Black is pretty amazing at times! During the movie they made jewelry and such.
They had to be home by 5pm, so by 4:30pm we left. The traffic was crazy coming home!
I made quiche for dinner, Abby got a last-minute invite to go to dinner and shopping with Sally, and Jeff and I went for another walk after dinner.
I also made a chocolate pie when I was making dinner, so after Abby got home, we ate that and are watching Gilmore Girls. And that about covers today!
Planning to do some more birthday shopping for Jeff tomorrow, plus the laundry too.
So, since that really does cover today, I guess that will do for this post.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Recovering from Rebirthing
Not much happening today. I took Abby to work, went to Target, worked on sorting coupons and trying to figure out what to eat this week. Not very successful though because a couple of the meals are for Jeff's birthday and Father's Day, so he needs to decide what he wants.
Abby worked until 3, then met with Kristen and went to the mall to do some shopping. Jeff and I picked up the van. It's been weird to have 2 cars, so it will be nice to have the van in working order again. Thankfully, it doesn't break very often!
We ate some salad, Jeff had leftover Coccia House pizza with his, and some frozen fruit. It was really warm today until about dinner time when it got windier and cooled off. Therefore, my appetite wasn't very big, and salad sounded good. However, now that it's 10pm, I feel kind of hungry. But that's OK--breakfast will be waiting in the morning.
We are having the Karen girls over tomorrow. I've been trying to plan this since I found out Abby's work schedule yesterday, but finally had to call EDD because she wasn't on facebook. Now that Ehler's married, I guess she won't be coming over so much. :( So, hopefully EDD, EDP, and Ehne Thau can come--haven't heard from Be Bin either. So, I guess we're having soup and rice for lunch at least!
Today wasn't quite as restful as yesterday--I didn't accomplish much more, but I felt like I should be accomplishing more, so I couldn't just sit and read without worrying about it! I'm still tired though and am trying to give myself the week off of any big things to recover a little from the last month.
I've been thinking about how this stage of life is kind of like a "rebirthing" of our kids. We have this mistaken idea when our kids are born that, after waiting for nine months, we finally get to have our baby with us. What I'm seeing very clearly now (and what is probably good we can't fully understand until we go through it), is that the birth of a baby is simply the first step in that little new human being moving away from her parents. Instead of being with mommy all the time, Baby is now separate and, while completely dependent, a very unique person who will continue to grow away from parents. Crawling, walking, running, school, driving, college, travel, marriage all lead away from parents, and we have to adjust our thinking to having our kids with us, to realizing that our real task is to help those very things happen, no matter how much we'd love to keep our kids with us all the time. So, just like labor is difficult, exhausting, emotional, and takes some time to recover from, so helping our kids enter the world in a greater way--through graduations, college, traveling, moving--can be all of those things too. But the end result is also similar. There is great joy in seeing how God has blessed us and in seeing how God is at work in our children's lives to take them to the next stage. We wouldn't have it any other way!
Abby worked until 3, then met with Kristen and went to the mall to do some shopping. Jeff and I picked up the van. It's been weird to have 2 cars, so it will be nice to have the van in working order again. Thankfully, it doesn't break very often!
We ate some salad, Jeff had leftover Coccia House pizza with his, and some frozen fruit. It was really warm today until about dinner time when it got windier and cooled off. Therefore, my appetite wasn't very big, and salad sounded good. However, now that it's 10pm, I feel kind of hungry. But that's OK--breakfast will be waiting in the morning.
We are having the Karen girls over tomorrow. I've been trying to plan this since I found out Abby's work schedule yesterday, but finally had to call EDD because she wasn't on facebook. Now that Ehler's married, I guess she won't be coming over so much. :( So, hopefully EDD, EDP, and Ehne Thau can come--haven't heard from Be Bin either. So, I guess we're having soup and rice for lunch at least!
Today wasn't quite as restful as yesterday--I didn't accomplish much more, but I felt like I should be accomplishing more, so I couldn't just sit and read without worrying about it! I'm still tired though and am trying to give myself the week off of any big things to recover a little from the last month.
I've been thinking about how this stage of life is kind of like a "rebirthing" of our kids. We have this mistaken idea when our kids are born that, after waiting for nine months, we finally get to have our baby with us. What I'm seeing very clearly now (and what is probably good we can't fully understand until we go through it), is that the birth of a baby is simply the first step in that little new human being moving away from her parents. Instead of being with mommy all the time, Baby is now separate and, while completely dependent, a very unique person who will continue to grow away from parents. Crawling, walking, running, school, driving, college, travel, marriage all lead away from parents, and we have to adjust our thinking to having our kids with us, to realizing that our real task is to help those very things happen, no matter how much we'd love to keep our kids with us all the time. So, just like labor is difficult, exhausting, emotional, and takes some time to recover from, so helping our kids enter the world in a greater way--through graduations, college, traveling, moving--can be all of those things too. But the end result is also similar. There is great joy in seeing how God has blessed us and in seeing how God is at work in our children's lives to take them to the next stage. We wouldn't have it any other way!
Monday, June 11, 2012
Sunday of the Very Busy Weekend
So, after two very late nights in a row (late for me, anyway), we were very glad to sleep in and go to the second service at church. We even squeezed in a walk before we went, since we hadn't been able to walk on Saturday. Kaite stayed home to have some time with God, and I'm sure Greta was very happy to have someone home with her for a change. We took her with us on the walk which wore her out, so she probably didn't mind us leaving her for the afternoon/evening again so she could sleep!
It was very warm again. I think highs have been in the upper 80's this weekend. We closed up the house when we'd leave, so we haven't had the AC on because it cooled off at night pretty well.
Church was good--felt encouraged that a gal who came a couple of weeks ago came back, and I got to introduce her to Erin who is also newer and around her age, and they seemed to hit it off well.
There was a baptism after church and then we left for home and went to Katie's grad party. Thought of Hannah because the food was pulled pork and Mexican food--soft tacos and tamales wrapped in banana leaves--from a "real" Mexican restaurant--and it was delicious! Chatted with the Peters and Longs. They had rented a tent and set it up over their driveway with food and pictures in the garage. Lots of cookies and a cake and even these Rice Krispy Treat/candy sushi things--very cute!
We left around 2, regrouped and headed to Wooster again to Mary Jo's mom's house where everyone went after their church. Got there just as many were leaving, but that ended up OK because we actually go to talk to Kata and Troy. They are going to Austria today for their honeymoon for a week! How lovely.
Then on to the Gorman gathering which was very nice. More chatting and catching up on everyone's lives, and the cousins finally got to hang out and chat and laugh!
We left there, went to Uncle Joe and Aunt Cathy's hotel and ate dinner with Tom's family, Grandma T. (who is now part of their family--she's living with them), and Joe and Cathy at an Italian place right next door. The food was good, but they were out of many things--burgers and broccoli, to name a few-- which were things we ordered. I finally got caught up with Robin on the family scoop--will fill Hannah in when we skype next!
A funny thing about their family is that all of them are home for the summer and no one is working. So even though Aaron has a job for fall, he's not working, the girls don't have summer jobs, and Tom and Robin retired, and of course, Grandma's not working either!! So they all just hang out together--with Lady V and Aaron's rabbit which he got off Craigslist--another funny story best left for skype!
We briefly went back to the hotel and said our goodbyes and headed home around 9:30pm.
And that, dear readers is the end of our very busy weekend.
Today is another recovery day after walking with Kaite before she went to get her tire fixed and headed back to Kent. Abby was scheduled to work 5-close but got called to cover for someone from 11-3, so she's working a double shift and training her first "official" person tonight after going through the certified trainer training. I've read blogs, written blogs, and all the while Greta has been sitting/lying on the laptop cord just to keep tabs on me, I think. The focus this week will be on getting things back together, getting ready for Jeff's birthday and Father's Day, and maybe having the Karen girls over one day. Quite enough to be getting on with!
It was very warm again. I think highs have been in the upper 80's this weekend. We closed up the house when we'd leave, so we haven't had the AC on because it cooled off at night pretty well.
Church was good--felt encouraged that a gal who came a couple of weeks ago came back, and I got to introduce her to Erin who is also newer and around her age, and they seemed to hit it off well.
There was a baptism after church and then we left for home and went to Katie's grad party. Thought of Hannah because the food was pulled pork and Mexican food--soft tacos and tamales wrapped in banana leaves--from a "real" Mexican restaurant--and it was delicious! Chatted with the Peters and Longs. They had rented a tent and set it up over their driveway with food and pictures in the garage. Lots of cookies and a cake and even these Rice Krispy Treat/candy sushi things--very cute!
We left around 2, regrouped and headed to Wooster again to Mary Jo's mom's house where everyone went after their church. Got there just as many were leaving, but that ended up OK because we actually go to talk to Kata and Troy. They are going to Austria today for their honeymoon for a week! How lovely.
Then on to the Gorman gathering which was very nice. More chatting and catching up on everyone's lives, and the cousins finally got to hang out and chat and laugh!
We left there, went to Uncle Joe and Aunt Cathy's hotel and ate dinner with Tom's family, Grandma T. (who is now part of their family--she's living with them), and Joe and Cathy at an Italian place right next door. The food was good, but they were out of many things--burgers and broccoli, to name a few-- which were things we ordered. I finally got caught up with Robin on the family scoop--will fill Hannah in when we skype next!
A funny thing about their family is that all of them are home for the summer and no one is working. So even though Aaron has a job for fall, he's not working, the girls don't have summer jobs, and Tom and Robin retired, and of course, Grandma's not working either!! So they all just hang out together--with Lady V and Aaron's rabbit which he got off Craigslist--another funny story best left for skype!
We briefly went back to the hotel and said our goodbyes and headed home around 9:30pm.
And that, dear readers is the end of our very busy weekend.
Today is another recovery day after walking with Kaite before she went to get her tire fixed and headed back to Kent. Abby was scheduled to work 5-close but got called to cover for someone from 11-3, so she's working a double shift and training her first "official" person tonight after going through the certified trainer training. I've read blogs, written blogs, and all the while Greta has been sitting/lying on the laptop cord just to keep tabs on me, I think. The focus this week will be on getting things back together, getting ready for Jeff's birthday and Father's Day, and maybe having the Karen girls over one day. Quite enough to be getting on with!
Saturday of the Very Busy Weekend
We meant to leave at 10ish to go back to Wooster to see everyone before the wedding again, but our family had a little dropped communication too. We told Kaite "10ish" for what time we were leaving, and she threw the ball to Abby, but never alerted Abby to catch it, so consequently, Abby didn't know we were leaving at 10ish. So it was more like 10:30 when we left, and it really worked out just fine that way because no one was available to hang out much anyway. They had eaten breakfast and were getting ready for the wedding. But we did get to see Tom's family and Grandma T. for a few minutes before they had to leave for the church.
We ate a very quick lunch at a gas station Subway--right next to the "live bait" refrigerator!! We noticed all kinds of "Woosterisms." I grew up in an even more rural area than Wooster (after all it was one of the bigger towns to go to when we lived in Berlin and Millersburg), but it was funny to notice all of the things that made it seem very "country-ish." We were right across from the OARDC (Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center--something like that). One of the meeting rooms in the hotel was reserved for a horse trainers/owners meeting. Kaite and Abby, you can add more things if you remember any more.
The music started at 1pm, and Tom's family did a wonderful, beautiful job. Kata and Troy were the fourth generation of her family to be married in that church. It was a full mass, so were weren't done until 3:30pm--quite a different story from MM's 20 minute services!! They walked down the (steep) front steps of the church while we blew bubbles and the church bell rang. Very picturesque.
It was very warm and sunny and a nice day for a wedding. The bridesmaids wore purple dresses and the groomsmen had top hats that they carried on their arm--I'm sure there will be some good pictures! Since they put "hats encouraged" on the invitation, many women had lovely hats which made it look quite festive and "royal wedding-y."
We made a quick stop at the reception place to see it and ate a quick snack of cheese and fruit. Then off and running again to get home to get to Abby's dance recital. All of the things we did were fun and festive, but it was tiring to always be watching the clock to make sure we were leaving for the next thing on time.
We also had a small extra thing to deal with because Kaite's tire was flat. So we stopped at Marc's on the way home to get a pump thingy to pump it up--and we got Abby some very sad-looking roses for her dance flowers. They were out of everything else, but we tried...
Had a few minutes at home and off to Falls HS! Abby did an awesome job on all of her dances, no costume issues or other excitement of the bad kind. We are so proud of her! And it was fun to sit with Kaite and laugh at how cute the little girls were--always a hoot!
Home after Swenson's for milkshakes, skyped with Hannah which was very exciting even though we were all very tired. And collapsed into bed yet again. And that was Saturday.
We ate a very quick lunch at a gas station Subway--right next to the "live bait" refrigerator!! We noticed all kinds of "Woosterisms." I grew up in an even more rural area than Wooster (after all it was one of the bigger towns to go to when we lived in Berlin and Millersburg), but it was funny to notice all of the things that made it seem very "country-ish." We were right across from the OARDC (Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center--something like that). One of the meeting rooms in the hotel was reserved for a horse trainers/owners meeting. Kaite and Abby, you can add more things if you remember any more.
The music started at 1pm, and Tom's family did a wonderful, beautiful job. Kata and Troy were the fourth generation of her family to be married in that church. It was a full mass, so were weren't done until 3:30pm--quite a different story from MM's 20 minute services!! They walked down the (steep) front steps of the church while we blew bubbles and the church bell rang. Very picturesque.
It was very warm and sunny and a nice day for a wedding. The bridesmaids wore purple dresses and the groomsmen had top hats that they carried on their arm--I'm sure there will be some good pictures! Since they put "hats encouraged" on the invitation, many women had lovely hats which made it look quite festive and "royal wedding-y."
We made a quick stop at the reception place to see it and ate a quick snack of cheese and fruit. Then off and running again to get home to get to Abby's dance recital. All of the things we did were fun and festive, but it was tiring to always be watching the clock to make sure we were leaving for the next thing on time.
We also had a small extra thing to deal with because Kaite's tire was flat. So we stopped at Marc's on the way home to get a pump thingy to pump it up--and we got Abby some very sad-looking roses for her dance flowers. They were out of everything else, but we tried...
Had a few minutes at home and off to Falls HS! Abby did an awesome job on all of her dances, no costume issues or other excitement of the bad kind. We are so proud of her! And it was fun to sit with Kaite and laugh at how cute the little girls were--always a hoot!
Home after Swenson's for milkshakes, skyped with Hannah which was very exciting even though we were all very tired. And collapsed into bed yet again. And that was Saturday.
Friday of the Very Busy Weekend
Just finished reading Hannah's blog posts from this weekend, and I also saw some good pictures of her on facebook from other people's posts that she was tagged in. It's good to feel more caught up with the details of her first week, especially after getting to skype with her Saturday night. Unfortunately, it was at the end of a very long day, and we were very tired. Plus, it was 2 hours earlier for her, so it seemed like we should be more awake, but though it was 9pm in Honduras, it was 11pm here. But, overall, it seems the first week has been good, and for that I am very thankful!
OK, last post was Thursday...Friday Abby worked 8am-2pm, and I went to Target in the morning. We were still fuzzy on the details for the evening with meeting the Yackley clan who weren't involved with the rehearsal and dinner. But eventually, we decided that Kaite would come home around 3/3:30pm when Jeff would also leave work/get home.
It ended up that we didn't leave until later though because we were timing our arrival based on when LouAnn's family would arrive and that wasn't until 6:30/7pm.
In the meantime, I was SO busy! Abby baked brownies for the church bake sale on Saturday because it was a fundraiser for LT, I know we washed the car, and I picked out what I was wearing to the various events this weekend. And I know I was running as fast as I could go, but I can't remember exactly what all I did!!
We got Coccia House pizza but didn't eat until almost 8pm, and I was so hungry I couldn't think straight. I felt so much better after a piece of pizza though! Frank and Valerie got there when we got back from picking up pizza, so we all ate in the hotel lobby and hung out and talked. We were hoping to get to see Tom's family too after they got back from the dinner, but it was 10:15pm, and we had to drive an hour home, so we left without seeing them. We found out the next morning that they had gotten back around 9ish and gone in a back door and totally missed seeing that we were all sitting in the lobby. That was really sad to have missed them, but nothing could be done about it at that point.
We realized (again) this weekend that communication is a struggle at times for Jeff's extended family, but as Kaite pointed out, no one gets angry or hurt or upset about the miscommunications or lack of communication. So that's good at least!
We got home around 11:15 and went to bed. I was so tired!! And that was Friday. I think I'll make Saturday and Sunday separate posts because there is so much to tell.
OK, last post was Thursday...Friday Abby worked 8am-2pm, and I went to Target in the morning. We were still fuzzy on the details for the evening with meeting the Yackley clan who weren't involved with the rehearsal and dinner. But eventually, we decided that Kaite would come home around 3/3:30pm when Jeff would also leave work/get home.
It ended up that we didn't leave until later though because we were timing our arrival based on when LouAnn's family would arrive and that wasn't until 6:30/7pm.
In the meantime, I was SO busy! Abby baked brownies for the church bake sale on Saturday because it was a fundraiser for LT, I know we washed the car, and I picked out what I was wearing to the various events this weekend. And I know I was running as fast as I could go, but I can't remember exactly what all I did!!
We got Coccia House pizza but didn't eat until almost 8pm, and I was so hungry I couldn't think straight. I felt so much better after a piece of pizza though! Frank and Valerie got there when we got back from picking up pizza, so we all ate in the hotel lobby and hung out and talked. We were hoping to get to see Tom's family too after they got back from the dinner, but it was 10:15pm, and we had to drive an hour home, so we left without seeing them. We found out the next morning that they had gotten back around 9ish and gone in a back door and totally missed seeing that we were all sitting in the lobby. That was really sad to have missed them, but nothing could be done about it at that point.
We realized (again) this weekend that communication is a struggle at times for Jeff's extended family, but as Kaite pointed out, no one gets angry or hurt or upset about the miscommunications or lack of communication. So that's good at least!
We got home around 11:15 and went to bed. I was so tired!! And that was Friday. I think I'll make Saturday and Sunday separate posts because there is so much to tell.
Thursday, June 07, 2012
A Small Miracle
Yesterday was such a busy day, I didn't have time to write anything.
I'll try to do a little summary although it was QUITE a day!
I picked Ehler up to shop for a dress which I thought was going to be fairly easy, but when she got in the car, and I asked her what exactly she was thinking, it was "long, white" with a veil. Uhhh....I had no idea where to go to look for wedding stuff at Chapel Hill, so I called Abby, and she said there was something in the mall. So we went and looked in every store and couldn't find anything that was exactly right. We were heading to Sears as our last hope (she was really looking for more of a prom dress than wedding thankfully), when we decided to go into Deb--I remembered people saying girls had gotten dresses there. And, by some miraculous miracle...there was a white floor-length dress in the style she liked in two sizes so she had a choice about fit too. It was originally $169.99 but was on clearance for $29.99 and it FIT! She got the other one for EDD who is going to be her bridesmaid I guess. My blood pressure went down after we found that, let me tell you.
Then we went to Pat Catan's to buy ribbon to make straps since the dresses were strapless. Good thing for all of those Celtic Balls, so that I knew how to take care of that problem. And I remembered that PC has a bridal section, so we found a veil and ribbons that would work to her satisfaction. And ribbon and flowers too.
Oh, my it was like seeing a miracle right before my very eyes. I just had no idea that we could ever find all those things in the 4 hours I had to shop. I had to get home because Abby had rehearsal at 4pm. So we went to Wendy's for lunch and headed to the bakery to order a wedding cake.
I tried to prepare myself for the comments about ordering a cake so late because I knew they would happen, and I didn't even know if they could do it. And the lady was kind of freaked out, but I stressed the words "small and simple" and eventually, she let us look through the book to see the options. Ehler picked out something that she liked, paid for it, and then they didn't seem to mind so much! Of course, there were two older women involved, and they had to give their opinions and advice about things that were none of their business. I tried to be tactful, but get them off her case at the same time.
I got home after stopping at Aldi, unloaded groceries, and took a fast walk, packed sandwiches for our dinner, and we took off for our LAST rehearsal. Jeff picked me up at the high school for a church meeting, and we got home around 9pm. Whew!!
And today I did laundry, cleaned, and started to get the house back together. Still have stuff to put away after Abby's graduation party though--that's for tomorrow. Actually made a real dinner too-chicken, mac and cheese, green beans, salad, and strawberries. And this was my "day off" this week!
Not sure what we're doing yet about Wooster tomorrow, but we need to figure that out--sooner rather than later at this point. Well, it's getting close to bedtime, so I guess that'll be it for tonight!
I'll try to do a little summary although it was QUITE a day!
I picked Ehler up to shop for a dress which I thought was going to be fairly easy, but when she got in the car, and I asked her what exactly she was thinking, it was "long, white" with a veil. Uhhh....I had no idea where to go to look for wedding stuff at Chapel Hill, so I called Abby, and she said there was something in the mall. So we went and looked in every store and couldn't find anything that was exactly right. We were heading to Sears as our last hope (she was really looking for more of a prom dress than wedding thankfully), when we decided to go into Deb--I remembered people saying girls had gotten dresses there. And, by some miraculous miracle...there was a white floor-length dress in the style she liked in two sizes so she had a choice about fit too. It was originally $169.99 but was on clearance for $29.99 and it FIT! She got the other one for EDD who is going to be her bridesmaid I guess. My blood pressure went down after we found that, let me tell you.
Then we went to Pat Catan's to buy ribbon to make straps since the dresses were strapless. Good thing for all of those Celtic Balls, so that I knew how to take care of that problem. And I remembered that PC has a bridal section, so we found a veil and ribbons that would work to her satisfaction. And ribbon and flowers too.
Oh, my it was like seeing a miracle right before my very eyes. I just had no idea that we could ever find all those things in the 4 hours I had to shop. I had to get home because Abby had rehearsal at 4pm. So we went to Wendy's for lunch and headed to the bakery to order a wedding cake.
I tried to prepare myself for the comments about ordering a cake so late because I knew they would happen, and I didn't even know if they could do it. And the lady was kind of freaked out, but I stressed the words "small and simple" and eventually, she let us look through the book to see the options. Ehler picked out something that she liked, paid for it, and then they didn't seem to mind so much! Of course, there were two older women involved, and they had to give their opinions and advice about things that were none of their business. I tried to be tactful, but get them off her case at the same time.
I got home after stopping at Aldi, unloaded groceries, and took a fast walk, packed sandwiches for our dinner, and we took off for our LAST rehearsal. Jeff picked me up at the high school for a church meeting, and we got home around 9pm. Whew!!
And today I did laundry, cleaned, and started to get the house back together. Still have stuff to put away after Abby's graduation party though--that's for tomorrow. Actually made a real dinner too-chicken, mac and cheese, green beans, salad, and strawberries. And this was my "day off" this week!
Not sure what we're doing yet about Wooster tomorrow, but we need to figure that out--sooner rather than later at this point. Well, it's getting close to bedtime, so I guess that'll be it for tonight!
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Recovery Day 2 :)
Quick post tonight before bed.
I finally slept well last night because I didn't have anything I had to get up for or do today. I went to sleep around 11pm and woke up at 8am, but I didn't get up until 8:30 because it felt so good just to rest.
I think I also slept well because Abby came in and read me Hannah's facebook post about them getting there OK, so I had some good news to sleep on.
I did tackle my closet after breakfast and a walk--still had winter and summer things all mixed up and have been looking forward to having time to get it organized. It looks much better, and I can actually reach the things I want to wear. Although today it's been cooler (barely out of 60's) and it rained which I totally was not expecting from the weather forecast last night, so I still needed sweaters and jeans.
We went to see Eh Ler graduate tonight from North High School. Graduation was at The Chapel in Akron, and we picked up Eh Dah Doe and Eh Dah Po too. Beth was there too because April graduated as well. So encouraging to see those girls get to that point after much hard work.
Tomorrow I plan to help Eh Ler shop for a dress to wear to her wedding which is on Sunday. I'm hoping we can find something she'll like in a reasonable amount of time. And I think she wants help in knowing how to order a cake. I don't ever order cakes, so I'm not really sure how to help her on that one. But I'll try!
So, I'm heading to bed now since I'm picking her up at 10am. Praying for Hannah in Honduras muchly throughout the day, and for Kaite to find another job she'll enjoy, and for Abby as she finishes this week of dance. Jeff and I are trying to figure out plans for the pastor's conference--flights are so expensive and still take almost as long as driving with having a layover. So praying about that too! Much to pray about, but thankful for a God who listens and has the desire and ability to help us!
I finally slept well last night because I didn't have anything I had to get up for or do today. I went to sleep around 11pm and woke up at 8am, but I didn't get up until 8:30 because it felt so good just to rest.
I think I also slept well because Abby came in and read me Hannah's facebook post about them getting there OK, so I had some good news to sleep on.
I did tackle my closet after breakfast and a walk--still had winter and summer things all mixed up and have been looking forward to having time to get it organized. It looks much better, and I can actually reach the things I want to wear. Although today it's been cooler (barely out of 60's) and it rained which I totally was not expecting from the weather forecast last night, so I still needed sweaters and jeans.
We went to see Eh Ler graduate tonight from North High School. Graduation was at The Chapel in Akron, and we picked up Eh Dah Doe and Eh Dah Po too. Beth was there too because April graduated as well. So encouraging to see those girls get to that point after much hard work.
Tomorrow I plan to help Eh Ler shop for a dress to wear to her wedding which is on Sunday. I'm hoping we can find something she'll like in a reasonable amount of time. And I think she wants help in knowing how to order a cake. I don't ever order cakes, so I'm not really sure how to help her on that one. But I'll try!
So, I'm heading to bed now since I'm picking her up at 10am. Praying for Hannah in Honduras muchly throughout the day, and for Kaite to find another job she'll enjoy, and for Abby as she finishes this week of dance. Jeff and I are trying to figure out plans for the pastor's conference--flights are so expensive and still take almost as long as driving with having a layover. So praying about that too! Much to pray about, but thankful for a God who listens and has the desire and ability to help us!
Monday, June 04, 2012
A New Chapter
So, after spending considerable time trying to figure out how to start posting again (it's been over a year since I wrote because no one's been out of the country since then), I think I've got it.
And, since Hannah left this morning for Honduras, I will again try to keep her updated via blog on the daily goings-on at our house.
Today felt like four days in one. Day 1: Up early to take Hannah and Elsa to the airport--like 4:30am early! Day 2: Home and napped from 7-9am, Kaite was here, we walked after breakfast, and she left around 11:30 or 12. Day 3: Abby and I went to the bank, library, and Huntington to open her "college" account, then Giant Eagle since we had little food! I knew I had to go to the store when Jeff saw an apple sitting out on the counter this morning before the airport, and he said, "An APPLE!" and rushed over to put it in his lunch box. He must be desperate for some fresh fruit! Day 4: Abby went to work, so now it's just Greta and me at home because Jeff is golfing after work. Glad the girls have "trickled" away as the day has gone on, or it would have been too hard to take!
I was just thinking about the craziness of the last month--all that has happened since May 4 when Hannah and Kaite moved home from Kent.
Kaite and Hannah move home from Kent temporarily
Abby graduated May 12
Moved Kaite into her first apartment May 14
We worked on the yard and went to Kamryn's party May 19
Got ready for Abby's party, had Meme here week of May 20-26
Abby's party May 26
Memorial Day weekend with Kelsey visiting May 27-28
Shopping for Hannah's trip May 29,30
Destination Kent State May 31, June 1
Packing Hannah's suitcase, Himelright party, Morgan's party June 2
Senior Recognition Sunday, Meg's shower, Abby's dance practice, Kent send-off June 3
Hannah left June 4
No wonder I'm tired today!
Plus so many of those things were major milestone events: Abby graduating from high school, thus ending my homeschooling career. Kaite's first apartment which changes her "home base." Hannah taking her first trip abroad which is a huge step. So proud of my girls for taking steps to be independent and to follow God's plan for their lives. Still waiting to hear official news from Hannah, but we know her plane landed, and we know she had a couple of hours to travel to the city they will be living in from the airport. So we look forward to hearing from her and are praying all is going well.
More tomorrow, but that's all I can muster up tonight!
Today felt like four days in one. Day 1: Up early to take Hannah and Elsa to the airport--like 4:30am early! Day 2: Home and napped from 7-9am, Kaite was here, we walked after breakfast, and she left around 11:30 or 12. Day 3: Abby and I went to the bank, library, and Huntington to open her "college" account, then Giant Eagle since we had little food! I knew I had to go to the store when Jeff saw an apple sitting out on the counter this morning before the airport, and he said, "An APPLE!" and rushed over to put it in his lunch box. He must be desperate for some fresh fruit! Day 4: Abby went to work, so now it's just Greta and me at home because Jeff is golfing after work. Glad the girls have "trickled" away as the day has gone on, or it would have been too hard to take!
I was just thinking about the craziness of the last month--all that has happened since May 4 when Hannah and Kaite moved home from Kent.
Kaite and Hannah move home from Kent temporarily
Abby graduated May 12
Moved Kaite into her first apartment May 14
We worked on the yard and went to Kamryn's party May 19
Got ready for Abby's party, had Meme here week of May 20-26
Abby's party May 26
Memorial Day weekend with Kelsey visiting May 27-28
Shopping for Hannah's trip May 29,30
Destination Kent State May 31, June 1
Packing Hannah's suitcase, Himelright party, Morgan's party June 2
Senior Recognition Sunday, Meg's shower, Abby's dance practice, Kent send-off June 3
Hannah left June 4
No wonder I'm tired today!
Plus so many of those things were major milestone events: Abby graduating from high school, thus ending my homeschooling career. Kaite's first apartment which changes her "home base." Hannah taking her first trip abroad which is a huge step. So proud of my girls for taking steps to be independent and to follow God's plan for their lives. Still waiting to hear official news from Hannah, but we know her plane landed, and we know she had a couple of hours to travel to the city they will be living in from the airport. So we look forward to hearing from her and are praying all is going well.
More tomorrow, but that's all I can muster up tonight!
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