Take a guess!

Hey girls,

I was thinking about the Ladybug Tree and I was trying to decide if I had anything to share. I do agree that Kim should write a book. I see a pretty amazing picture book that could be illustrated by kids. Let me know if that is something you would want to do!! I know a place to get it published!

Anyhoo, I was thinking about my childhood and I do have to say Halloween used to be one of my favorite days of the school year. The funny part of all of this is I can honestly say I've never been trick or treating in my life. I think I've only dressed about 4 or 5 times and that was all before the age of 7. But I used to LOVE Halloween. My parents did not like the parties that happened at school, so they started pulling us out and having a family day. It was so fun!! We would go to the zoo or to the museum and hang out all day as a family. Then after dinner we would turn out all the lights and head to the basement. There we would watch old musicals. I'm trying to talk Nick into watching Carousel or Seven Brides for Seven Brothers or Singin in the Rain. You know, classics! ;) I do think this is something I may instill with my own kids someday. Just taking a day off of school to do something as a family. I remember loving those times!!

I hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween. Julie...I would LOVE to see a picture of Seth in whatever cute costume you came up with!! I'm off to do a pumpkin activity with my kids. How many seeds do you think is in one large pumpkin?

Love you all lots!

I love Fall

Hey girls! It finally feels like Fall in Tulsa! We have finally started dropping tempertures below 80 degrees. Although, I was taking pictures of Seth in the pumpkin patch last week and it was 90 degrees. So, I looked crazy... because I was determined to have Seth's Fall pics look authentic, I took him to the patch in a onesy and then put a sweatshirt, corduroys and a hat on him for pictures. The poor baby was so grumpy because it was hot that he wouldn't smile. So, the pics didn't turn out that great. But it's cold out now. We have several costume parties to go to this weekend for Halloween and we have no idea what to dress up as. Do you guys have any suggestions? The only thing I found that I though was kind of cute, was the Spartan cheerleaders from SNL. But the costumes are sold out now. So, I don't know what to do. Anyways, I got a new job this week that looks like it will work out pretty nicely. I'm going to be doing freelance writing for a website. (Just like my writing hero, Kimmy!). It pays OK and I think it will work out to let me stop watching Jacob during the week. I really don't enjoy babysitting. I love Seth, but I'm not one of those people that can just do the kid thing all the time and love it. I'm actually thinking of putting Seth in a Mother's Day Out program 2 days a week to give me more time to write and focus on developing my publications design business. I would come out better financially than what I'm doing now and it would give me a little breather during the week to get stuff done and not have to be burned out taking care of Seth. I'm very thankful that I get to stay at home, but being a stay-at-home mom is not the easiest thing to do. You just mentally and emotionally get fried. Although if you ask a mom who works and wants to stay at home, she would tell you that I have the greatest situation in the world and have nothing to complain about. Which is true... but I'm still burned out on kids. Well, enough of that. I need to go get Seth. He's crying. Love you girls!

change of plans

This is a picture of the lobby at Secrets Excellence Resort, Riviera Maya - the very location I am scheduled to be at in 2.5 weeks time for my honeymoon, sipping fruity beverages, sleeping a lot, and laying on the beach day after day after day (by day, by day :)) We're looking to reschedule, preferably somewhere that wasn't torn to shreads by Wilma...
That's what I'm busy with - trying to get travel plans all changed. Thank goodness for travelers insurance!
Thinking of you all!

Um...

So I thought I'd help break the blogging dry spell and write a bit...even though I don't have anything really new or exciting to tell.
I was home sick yesterday with some kind of yucky virus. But I'm feeling some better today and decided to drag myself into work. It's been so dreary and rainy that staying in bed seems so appealing. But I have to be productive at some point, I suppose.
A group of us went to a pumpkin patch on Sunday in Fall City (isn't that appropriate?) then carved them afterwards and drank cider. It was very festive and really gave me a hankerin' for pumpkin pie.
Sometimes I get in this mood where I really want to go do something -- something like save the world, join the Peace Corps, adopt an orphan, or contribute tons of money to AIDS research or something. It's frustrating because I'm not really involved with a church yet or any organization where I can put this energy to use. So I mainly sit around and plan out things, or write about them. We do want to get involved, and we know we need to, but where do you find the time? I suppose that once my contract is up here in Everett, and my commute doesn't steal two hours from my day, I will have more time to devote to things like saving the world. But I also suppose that there will always be things that will steal away my free time, and that if I don't learn to make things like that a priority now, they will only get lost by the wayside on my way to the next great opportunity. I guess I don't really expect any answers to this post, but I just thought I'd send my thoughts out into the void...(stealing a line from a favorite chick flick).
Well, enough rambling for one morning. Love you girls and miss you all!
Go White Sox! :)

my latest mishap

I locked my husband out of the house yesterday!!! Before I left in the morning I put a spare key in his vehicle as we had planned so that when he arrived home at 3:30 from the conference, he could get in the house. Well, I got everything just perfect except for the part about leaving the minivan unlocked so he could GET the key. So there he stood outside the van, looking in at the house key. oops! I have never felt so stupid!!!
There was another spider in my bathroom this morning. Just as I was noticing him, he jumped right down at me! You know, how they can string down so quickly from just one little strand of web. Yeah, I screamed. stupid spiders!!
choir starts this weekend - so excited!
back to work!
Kimmie! You need to write a book about the ladybug tree!!! I'd buy one (or 100) for sure!

Just a friendly "Hello"

Good day, girls...
I love checking the blog and seeing that someone has posted - it is seriously what gets me through my day sometimes. I know that's sad, but this little piece of cyberspace is what keeps me connected to the lives of those I love. Before, I even go any further, let me just tell you that I am PMSing in a major way. I don't understand me because every month, the stupid thing hits me differently. This month, I have had a headache, been sick to my stomach, been VERY emotional and so tired I could sleep for a week. But enough of that, I know we all endure it. Don't even get me started on how I resent the other half of our species for not having a CLUE as to what this is like.
Other than that, things are good on my end. Just taking things a day at a time and working my little life away. I have to work both days this weekend at PB so that leaves me with no days off until Jennifer comes to visit next weekend (YAY!!!). So needless to say, that will be a welcome relief. Julie, my heart goes out to you and all you are dealing with right now. Please don't hesitate to call if you need anything...that i can supply from all the way up here...:)
Kimmie - yes, we do need to connect. I will hopefully get a hold of you sometime soon. I should be home tonight, I will go to the gym at about 8, probably, but other than that i should be available. Same with tomorrow. And Friday. And...well you get the point.
Ok, well, I better get back to my real job...yes, I do have a job even though, i email and blog-check so often it wouldn't appear that way. But before I go, i just want to add to Kimmie's idea of sharing...I am in favor of it. (And, I loved the story of the Ladybug Tree...you should write a children's book about that...seriously.) But in light of the fact that I agree with her on this I can't think of anything to share with you guys. The only thing I can think of is that sometimes I feel like people assume that I am pining away here in Chicago, sulking because I am alone and single - without a man in my life. And although there are brief, oh so brief, moments where I may feel this way, I really don't for the most part. I have amazed myself by actually feeling great about being single right now. And I can honestly say that I do NOT want to be in a relationship right now...well, let me rephrase that. I don't want to be in a "getting to know you uncomfortable dating" relationship. So, unless I find someone who has an abnormally attractive personality and completely captures my attention, this girl will be happily single for now. :) There, I said my piece. Have a great day.

Ladybug tree

I'm getting ready to go to a meeting in a few minutes, but wanted to post a quick hello this morning first.
I would be happy to send some of our very fall-like weather to Tulsa for you, Julie. It's just plain yucky here right now. But it is the northwest -- not like I'm surprised by the dreariness or anything. So sorry about your grandma, too, Juls -- we'll definitely keep praying for you all. I wish I could come to Ohio to visit with you...but I'm sure you'll just want some good quality time with your family. We'll just have to catch up at Christmas :)
So Jennifer and I were saying the other day that while the blog does allow all of us to keep up with each other in a new and exciting way, it doesn't really allow for many deep, personal thoughts and reflections. I know that posting our innermost desires out in the vast black hole of cyberspace is a little scary...but, on the other hand, it's not like we haven't all totally embarrassed ourselves in front of each other at some point. That's what friendship is all about -- looking ridiculous and having the other person still love you regardless. (example: "I like boys!") :p
That being said, I'm going to risk sounding cheesy and post something about myself that most of you may not know. It's nothing brilliant or extreme, but just a little tidbit from my past to liven up the blog a bit. If anyone else wants to share something a little weird or unorthodox, please feel free. Of course, the normal day-to-day stuff is always interesting -- especially with our being so far away from each other...but I really have nothing new at all to say...so here we go.
Until I was about 5, my parents and I lived in this big, old, drafty farmhouse, complete with a barn and surrounded by corn fields. We had a big collie/german shepherd mix that was like my nanny dog. She followed me everywhere. We had quite a few trees surrounding our house, and one in particular was really special to me because, for some reason, it attracted millions of ladybugs. Any time of the year, whenever you'd go outside, the first thing that would catch your eye was this huge old tree, its bark red and crawling with ladybugs. I used to scoop them up in my hands and let them crawl over my fingers, tickling me with their little legs. The tree has since been cut down, but I think I'll always remember it as my "ladybug tree."
Love you girls!

I'm bored

Hey guys! I miss you all. I'm very bored. I'm busy all the time, but everything I do is boring. I wish I lived closer to you guys so that I could call you up and go somewhere every once in a while. Plus, none of our friends here drink coffee. Can you believe it?! How can life be good without a reasonably steady flow of coffee? So nobody here ever wants to go to a coffee shop and hang out or anything. Josh and I were just saying the other day how we missed all of us from ORU going to Starbucks and sitting for hours over coffee talking and laughing. Anyways.... I'm glad to hear everyones updates. Kimmy, I'm sorry you had kind of a rough time in Ohio. Divorce is hard no matter how old you are. I know that Josh had a rough time when his parents got divorced last year. It's still like you're grieving the loss of something, sort of like a death. Please let me know if you need anything. I'm going to call you tonight by the way. Sorry I missed your call on Sunday. I was in Bible study. And then we've been crazy busy this week because our washer and dryer died. So, we've been frantically trying to find new ones. My laundry is piled up halfway to the ceiling. But we bought a new set at Lowes yesterday and it is being installed this very minute, so that situation has been resolved. We're going to go to the pumpkin patch today with the boys because we thought that would be fun. Although it is like 90 degrees so it does not feel much like pumpkin patch weather. I'm going to be going back to Ohio in November. (Nov. 7-12, Kimmy... just in case you need another trip. hehehe...). My grandma is not doing well. We're not really expecting her to make it to Christmas. Dad said he's not really even sure she's going to get through Thanksgiving. So, I'm making a trip back again to spend some more time with her. I want to get as much quality time as I can before she's not able to even enjoy us visiting. She's in an awful lot of pain. So I guess Kim and I both have some yucky reasons to be visiting Ohio these days. It's been hard for my family these past few months. I've never really seen my mom be so down. Anyways, your prayers are still much appreciated in that situation. That's about all that's happening here. I love reading all of your posts. Keep em coming. Love you girls!

Juls

the lady of the house

hey gals, hope you all had good weekends! Mine was very productive, especially if you measure productivity in the amount of money I saved (and spent!) shopping! I hit Gordmans and Kohls pretty hard with some hits to Target, WalMart, and Old Navy along the way too... it was time to stock up for winter!
Chris is in Chicago for the next several days at "Straight Up" which is a leadership conference for all the 'Harvest Bible Chapel's'. He's there with all the pastors, church staff, elders, and a couple of small group leaders. Pray that he gets built up and inspired! Thus, I am the lady of the house until wednesday evening. And this means... the house is CLEAN! well ok, it's getting there anyway. But the big king size bed isn't so much fun without my human furnace just a couple inches away. I had to add another blanket last night.
Saturday afternoon we also cleaned out the garage. That was absolutely lovely (just what this obsessive gal needed - to clean something!). So now we can park both vehicles in the garage, what a concept. Here's my funny story about the garage... Until now, Chris has been the only one to use the garage and park there on occasion. I had always seen him push the button on the inside to close the door and then walk outside with no problem. Well! Sunday evening after dropping Chris off, I drove into the garage for the first time and attempted to close the door as I had seen him do so many times. NOTE: I grew up with a manual garage door. So, in all my excitement of finally getting to park in the garage last night... when I'd push the button and try to walk outside, the garage door would stop and go back up. I didn't learn about the laser-activated safety feature until about 10 minutes ago when Chris (laughing histarically) explained to me how this works! I must have tried 15 times to exit that garage yesterday! ugh!
Anyway, this week I'll be making myself busy and I can't wait for him to be home again. I hope nothing breaks in the house while he's gone, I won't know what to do!
Praying for all of you!

Long time, no write

Since it's been, well, forever since I've written, I'll try to keep this short and sweet without getting too carried away... :)
Thanks, girls, for all your prayers and warm thoughts in the past couple weeks. Being in Ohio was definitely something I needed to do, but it wasn't exactly the most fun time in the world, for the most part. Things with my parents are still pretty shaky. I did get to see my dad for a couple days while I was there, and I think that talking with him gave me a little more closure. But I'm still having a hard time dealing with the fact that he can be so cold to my mom after all the time they spent together. It just really scares me, and makes me realize how important it is to devote lots of time and love to my marriage. I do not want to end up in the same situation. Not that I really see that happening with Adam and me, but still it makes one think.
I guess I'm just not totally okay with the situation yet. I mean, you'd think that it would be easier to deal with my parents divorcing as an adult, but it brings up a whole different slew of emotions. I keep having all these flashbacks to the vacations and fun things we all did together as a family. It really makes me sad to think those days are over. Dad has pretty much made it clear that he wants nothing to do with my mom at all. I'm sure he is hurt by her leaving, but the fact that he's so closed up and won't talk to anyone is part of the reason there were so many issues in the first place!
Anyway, I'd really appreciate all of your continued prayers for my family.
On the other hand, I did get to spend some good quality time with my sister and nieces and nephews. It was so great being a part of their lives and being able to just drop by and go shopping or whatever. It was a little hard for me to be apart from Adam while I was going through all the emotional rollercoasters of that week. But being by myself also allowed me to have plenty of opportunities for spending time with everyone.
I did get to check the blog a couple times while I was away. It was so nice to hear about everyone's lives -- made me smile when I was getting too emotional about things!
Adam and I went to Vancouver this weekend. We both just needed to get away and catch up with each other. We hadn't really had a chance to do that since before he went to Colorado. The city of Vancouver is a very fun place, and the fall colors were absolutely beautiful. We stayed downtown, right across the street from the water. You'd think I'd be used to seeing the ocean by now, but I still love it. We did some sightseeing and a lot of walking, which was good because we also did a lot of eating! I'll just say, all-you-can-eat sushi, and leave it at that. I got a manicure, which was very nice, but almost left my wedding rings there, and had to run back about a mile to get them! Then I spent the whole rest of the day hacking like an asthma patient...I don't think I've run that far since I was about ten. :p
Well, it's time for my Sunday night shows...gotta keep up on the drama. Love you girls and miss you all!

Greetings From the Not-So-Windy-But-Breezy City

Helloooo friends!
Not a lot to tell here, but I wanted to let everyone know that I have been enjoying the posts...
Julie - you are a wonderful mom and I think it's commendable that you have that instinct to protect your child. There are too many parents out there that don't have that in them. And I know you will be ok alone for a while, but by all means don't hesitate to call on friends if any of it gets to be too much for you. You know that if I were still there, I would come stay with you. (*sigh*)
Jennifer - I hope you are getting all of your projects done around the house. It seems like forever since I have seen you, so one of us needs to make the 2.5 hour drive soon. I'll let you know if I ever get a weekend off, but if you want to make it here, just let me know and I'll arrange something. I miss you dearly!
Jamie - So so so glad to hear that things are on the upside again. I assume those little bumps in the road are what make marriages stronger. I really hope all is well and I am VERY glad that you get some time away from school! I am thinking of you!
Kimmie - we have to chat. I feel as though you've dropped off my radar and I don't know what's going on with you! Maybe I'll try calling this weekend...Love you!
Liz - Thinking about you and all you have on your plate makes my head spin, but I know you are one of "those" people who can handle it. Call me when you get a minute. I am usually available in the evenings and Sunday, but I know you go to Seekonk on the weekends, so whenever is fine. I miss you!
Angie - Can I just say that I am so glad that I get to be a part of your life via email everyday. I love it! Though, it's really no subsitute for the real thing. It's like constantly having Diet Coke everyday but every once in a while, you just want the Real Thing...hahaha I just came up with that :)
Ok, so as for me, things are pretty routine in my life at the moment: I go to work, come home, go to the gym, come home, go to bed. Now, there is a little TV (lately the White Sox games, The Biggest Loser, and all the regular Thursday night programming) and a lot of talking on the phone in there, but that's the bulk of my day. :) With weekends come Pottery Barn and household projects with an occasional leisurely walk to the Lake and reading. That's it, that's my life. Not too much there, but I'm ok with it for right now. This keeps the drama out.
Work is going very well - everyday I learn something new. The recruiters are very good about teaching me about the business as we go along (I would have never known the difference between an Account Executive, an Account Supervisor, an Account Director, and an Account Manager in the advertising world...), and are continually giving me more opportunities to grow. We'll see how long I am here, but I will say that this experience is making me rethink what I want to continue my education in.
My family is good. Nothing really new there. So I guess that's about it for me...
Oh, Henry is good, too. We've been dealing with a relapse of ear mites, and he REALLY does NOT like his medicine for that, but I just keep telling him it's all for his own good. Yeah that doesn't work. I end up covered in cat hair with a few minor scratches, and he seems to give me the cold shoulder for a while. Ah, well.
Ok, better get back to work...slow day, can ya tell? ;)
I love you girls dearly! I miss you all...But don't worry...it's only a few (12ish, right?) weeks until the next wedding!

Cat in the Hat

Hey there! I'm so happy to hear everyone is doing well. Jamie, I knew you and Nick would be great again soon. Always remember that just because you have occasional issues, it doesn't necessarily mean your marriage is in trouble. Relationships are a series of ups and downs that are just a part of doing life together. =) Angie, thanks for the tip on that website for invitation ideas. I hope you're not getting too stressed out with all of your wedding planning. That's cool that you guys are taking dance lessons. Josh and I want to do that, but we don't really have someone to watch Seth for us. Kimmy, how was Ohio? I hate that we keep missing each other on the phone.
So things are going pretty well here. I just got Seth's halloween costume. He's going to be the Cat in the Hat. Obviously he can't really have any candy, but we'll dress him up and take pictures. We went to the Zoo today. Josh had the afternoon off so we took Jacob and Seth to the Zoo. Jacob loved it. It was good to get out of the house. Otherwise, you kind of go crazy just being inside with kids by yourself all day. I am so dreading the month of November because Josh will be gone the whole time. Not only will I go insane from loneliness, but I get really nervous when I'm home alone at night. Josh is having our security system activated and he's getting me a gun and teaching me how to use it. Plus I have Wyatt (although he would just lick somebody to death). I don't really want to learn how to use a gun or even have one in the house... but when you have a baby, there's this intense drive to protect at all cost. Oh well, my cousin, Cheryl, said she might be able to come and stay with me some and my other cousin Holly invited me to come stay with them in their guest room whenever I want. If I get too freaked out I might go do that. Speaking of that... Jamie, my cousins, Jared and Holly Newman are moving to Colorado in the next few months because Jared is going to be the Junior High youth minister for New Life Church. Is that where you go? Anyways, I really don't have anything new to say. I love you girls!

Julie

Fall Break!

Hey girls! Thank you all so much for the marriage advice. I just needed to vent and hear from some Godly women that I am normal. Things between Nick and I are great. Of course they were close to great the next night. I'm learning so much at how to be selfless and put my needs down. I'm still a work in progress. But Nick tells me everyday that he loves me.

We went on our Fall Retreat with theMILL this weekend. (theMILL is our college/twentysomethings group at church where we met and serve together.) It was a lot of fun and challenging at the same time. Nick and I have really seen the need for a young married's section at theMILL. So, we are praying about stepping into that roll and what it would look like. We did find out that the missions trip next summer is going to be going to China. So, we are praying about that too. I'm hoping to go and spend 2 weeks on my first missions trip. We hope to have 100 people go on this trip. So it should be a good time.

Right now I'm on my fall break; two weeks of no school!! We had our first snow Sunday night/Monday. It was so pretty! Nick stayed home from work on Monday, so we just got to hang out. He even took me shopping. :) I'm planning on getting my wedding pictures online so you can see all of them. I'll let you know when that happens!

Well...I should get to bed. I love you all dearly and I'm praying for you often. Kim, I hope your trip went well. Ang, sounds like things are coming together. Liz, I would love that recipe! I usually don't like squash, but a watermelon smelling squash can't be all that bad. Jen, be careful on that ladder. I hope you get all your projects done. I totally understand the weight thing. We are battling that here too. Praise the Lord for winter and big clothes. :) Julie, I will be praying for you, I don't know you do it all!! Steph I love your updates! Let me know how Henry takes to those plants.

I hope you all have a happy Wednesday!! Love ya lots!

update

Happy monday morning girls!
I've been really busy these last few days, getting ready for the fall and winter. We have so many household projects that need to be taken care of before it gets too cold. This saturday we purchased the paint for our shutters and new doors. While Chris is away next week I will be painting away! Hope I can manage to get the shutters taken down withouth breaking my neck. I'm going to try and surprise him and have it all done when he returns. Wish me luck! Oh, and I still haven't gotten the ceiling painted in the kitchen and hallway. I'm about 5 weekends behind on that project, oops!
Last night we went to a bonfire! We had a blast with friends from church. It was the perfect weather for a bonfire - just cold enough to have to stay by the fire all the time :)
Jaren had to come and stay with us last night. It seems the sewage from her apartment building had backed up during the night on saturday night. So she awoke to a glorious smell and wet carpet. How terrible that must be! Since she's on the lower level, only her apartment and the next-door neighbor were affected by the "flooding" but the whole complex was upset that they had no water all day. Other than that, things seem to be going well for her. She loves her second job - at GAP kids. And she's working with our worship director on getting a childrens choir together for Christmas service. They are going to sing the offering song that week.
Speaking of choir, we held auditions this weekend for our Christmas choir that I'll be directing. Looks like we'll have almost 25 people for the first choir at Harvest Bible Chapel. I'm so excited we have such great interest and am really looking forward to working with a choir again. It seems I've been spending every free moment writing out choir parts. It was a little bit easier and faster while I was in school and thinking 'music' all day long. But I'm having a blast so far!
Ok, so it's finally happened, the marriage weight has set on me. I had a few months where I was bobbling up and down with my weight, but it seems now that 10 extra pounds has permanently found its way to my hips and belly. Today the workout starts! Thankfully (or not so thankfully), Chris has also put on some marriage weight so we can encourage one another in working off that weight. So depressing knowing our honeymoon is in just over a month and we have weight to loose for the beach!
I'm so glad that everyone has been writing updates on the BLOG! Doesn't look like I'll be having a busy day at work so far, especially since I've taken the time to write this during office hours. Anyway, love you all and miss you too!

It's Finally Cold!

Finally... After 6-8 inches of rain in two days, we have cold weather... We needed the rain desperately, but we would have been better off getting it a little bit slower - we had some flooding in low lying areas. But it's better than having no rain, I guess. Luckily we live on top of a hill and have issues with flooding. Anyway... I'm more glad for the cooler weather. It has been in the 80's for like 4 or 5 weeks, which is very unusual for this time of year. It was compounded by the lack of rain.
Anyway... Enough about the weather. Sorry I've been slacking in the blog thing, it's not that I haven't been reading... It's just hard for me to find the time to write. Since I sit in front of a computer all day at work, I have a hard time doing it when I get home... My eyes already have issues.
So... Let's see, What's new? Well, apparently not a whole lot. Aaron and I had our first dance lesson on Saturday night... We had a good time, and he was surprisingly good. He only stepped on my feet a few times. No really, I had to keep up with him. We started with the fox trap and did some fun stuff with that, including the emergency step, the promenade, and the promenade spin. And at the end, we did a little swing intro, but we had a harder time with that, so we didn't get too far into that. Our instructors are really fun and its just us in the full hour session, which makes it really nice.
um... Other than that, its just the same old stuff. Wedding stuff is keeping me busy of course. We have started working on the invitation, but its still in conception stage, nothing on the computer yet. I ordered the paper and hope it comes by the end of the month. They haven't given me a ship date yet, so I am a little concerned. Maybe I will call this week to see if they can give me an idea on when it will arrive.
It is so great to hear from you all. Kimmie - I am so jealous of your eyes. Unfortunately I don't even have the option of lasik - I'm far sighted. Jamie - I really don't have the experience in marriage to give you any advice, but I must say that Jules advice sounded pretty sound. I'm praying for you and have all the confidence in the world that this is just a season of change and learning for both of you. From what I've heard, marriage is a huge adjustment and takes time to work out all the kinks. I love you girl and I'm glad you had the courage to share with us. Jen - I'm inspired by your willingness to open your home and heart to the home group crowd. I'm sure that each one of them has been impacted more than you see or will ever know. I'm so proud of you. Liz - I miss you... I hope you had a wonderful birthday, and I'm sorry I missed your call on Saturday. It sounds like married life is keeping you busy - but that's not so unusual for you. Call me when you get a spare moment, we really need to catch up. Julie - It sounds like you have you hands full with your kids. I can just hear your little guy cracking up... That is so fun. If your looking for invitation ideas, I saw some really good ones on http://www.remoteassistance.com/index.htm - they have some really cool and different ideas. Just thought I would pass the source on to you. Steph - I'm glad for you that your life has finally slowed down. I'm sorry we missed eachother this weekend. Maybe we can catch up tomorrow. I'm definitely with ya on the whole cold weather thing - I love it!
Anyway girls... gotta go for now.

BRRRR!

It was down right chilly this morning on my way to work! I think the flashing sign I saw said 48 degrees. Whoa.
Anyway, I really don't have a whole lot to say except that I am very excited to get home tonight. I have a few plants from work that are just babies and they are ready to be potted, so Tony is letting me take them home. I will have just a little more life in my apartment than before and that makes me happy. The only thing that concernes me is that the plants have long dangling vines and I think that Henry may see that as his new toy. Not cool. So other than finding some sort of way to keep it out of reach from him, it should be a welcome additio to my decor.
Work has been much of the same routine, although things are picking up a little. I have had a few extra things put on my plate as far as that goes, but its all good, fun stuff.
I have been going to they gym just about everyday, but I seem to have to drag myself there everyday. Maybe the cooler weather is making me lazier, too. It makes me just want to cozy up inside with a cup of hot cocoa. But...nope. Hot cocoa has too many calories. :)
Uh, let's see. Yeah, that's about it on my end. For once I really don't have much going on and I like it that way...except that it doesn't give you guys much to read about...

butternut squash and apple pie

Hey girls, sorry I've been so long in writing. Jen, I tried to email you a birthday card, but it came back to me. Do you have a new email with your new name or something? Anyway, Happy Belated Brithday. Julie, I'm so sorry to hear you've got to be mostly on your own next month. That's gotta be touch. Kim, I hope you have/had a wonderful trip to Ohio, and that it wasn't too stressful or difficult. Life here is good, and very busy. I've tried to attach a picture of my new little godson, Jahari. I hope it works. It's him at about 3 weeks. Don't tell the picture be deceiving....he's actually just a tiny little peanut. He was not even 7 pounds yet at this picture. Anyway, everything else is going well. We're in the midst of participating in the New England fall activities here. I had Tuesday off, and thought I'd try this awesome new recipe for butternut squash soup. Well let me tell you, I had never cut up a butternut squash before, and although the soup was delicious, I don't know that I ever will again. It's the hardest thing to cut in the world, and so slimy after you peel it. And it smells like watermelon. Weird. But it was yummy, and we had apple pie for dessert fom apples we picked. I love the fall. Ok well, I've got a class the school is paying for me to take on Fridays, so I should get going so I'm not late for my first one. But that's about my life in a nutshell here....babies, fall, my hubby, and of course family too, since we see them almost as much still as when I lived there. I hope all is well with you girls, and that you're also enjoying the beautiful fall weather!

Marriage is a trip

Hey girls! I'm sorry I haven't been getting into this as much lately. It's been a busy week. Kim, I am also sorry that I have not had the chance to call you back. If I had known Adam was out of town, I would have put everything else on hold because I know how much it sucks to be home alone. Josh will be on a rotation like 3 hours away for the month of Novemeber. He'll come home on weekends, but I'll be alone all week every week in November. I'm going to call you today though. Jennifer, congrats on making dinner consistantly. You're a better woman than I am. Although I did a GREAT cookbook from my grandma that is good recipes but quick cooking. I highly recommend it. It's called "Best of the Best: Recipe Hall of Fame Quick and Easy Cookbook, Winning recipes from hometown America." Jamie, welcome to marriage. I'd like to tell you that once you're past this hurdle, you'll be done with these kind of challenges... but it seems that no matter how well you know each other, you will always run into these sort of situations. The good news however, is that you will get significantly better at solving your problems together as a team. I would recommend a couple of things. First of all, you could both write down how you're feeling and what is bothering you. You might also write down possible solutions to your situation. This way you can think things through calmly without being in each other's faces. Then go out for dinner or coffee or somewhere public to discuss what you've written down. This way, neither of you will freak out or go out of control because you'll be more concientous (sp?) about your actions. You'll be able to have a calm, organized discussion and hopefully come to compromise on some solutions. Be sure to use "I" phrases such as "I feel hurt and left out when you ask for alone time after dinner..." rather than "you" phrases such as "You hurt me and leave me out when you ..." "You" phrases tend to set a more defensive tone to the conversation. Anyways, just a suggestion. I know this all sounds silly, but you'd be amazed how little things can make a difference. Most of all just keep praying on your own and as a couple. You'll feel more connected and open with each other the more you share your spiritual life with each other.
Well girls, Seth is screaming and Jacob needs his nap. So I need to go. Love you all!

Relationships...

Oh, aren't relationships so much fun? Jamie, I feel ya, girl. I'm sorry things are tough for you two right now. I don't know if you can check your email at school, but I sent you a novel in response to your blog. I hope hearing about how weird Adam and I are helps you a little. Just know that you are not alone! Since the beginning of time, men and women have had communication issues. And when you actually move in with one, guys become even more impossible to understand. At least for girls it's constant -- we're always emotional. But guys...sheesh.
So I'm leaving for Ohio tomorrow. It's going to be a little strange seeing my dad. Now I have to schedule time to see him separate from the rest of the family. It's really a big pain in the butt. But anyway...looks like my mom is going to have to pursue a divorce. She really doesn't want to, but Dad isn't giving her much choice. He keeps going back and forth on supporting her financially. First he said no way, then he said he'd refinance the house and buy her out, but now he has a lawyer and it looks like he's going to be kind of nasty about the whole thing. It's not like my mom wants alimony -- she only wants her fair share of what she put into the house. Basically, he's keeping the house so she needs some other means of taking care of herself.
But apart from that mess, I am looking forward to seeing my sister and her family. It's been forever since I've gotten to spend any time with all of them. And they're growing up so fast! Thomas is turning 20 this year and Anna will be 18! It's crazy!
Adam and I saw Flightplan last night. It was pretty good...I won't give anything away, but I thought the ending could have been better.
Love you all!

Midnight

Hey girls,

I guess it isn't really midnight for me, but it is for most of you. And I hope you all fast asleep, like I should be. I wish I could say I was better at this blogging thing, but I'm not. So sorry! I have been so busy trying to keep up with my life and communicate with my husband.

I need some advice from you all! What do you do when communication seems to suck between you and your husband. We are struggling right now. I can't seem to tell him what I need and he can't seem to do the same. We feel like we are in the biggest rut at the moment. And the worst of it all is that my feelings seem constantly hurt. Help!! All I do is cry every time we talk. It's horrible. (No, I'm not pregnant.) I have finally put my trust in that tiny little pill I take every morning. I thought it didn't work last month, but as of Sunday morning...yep...We are in working order, cramps and all. So...I figured that is why I'm weepy, but give me a break!!

If you have some good advice at how to actually talk let me know. We've even done trips together in the past few weeks, and that didn't even help. I'm in the biggest stress week of the 1st semester at school right now. I'm sure that doesn't help us. It's conference week. I'm not getting home until 6:30 or later. Nick is so wonderful and is taking on dinner. It's nice to have the break. But then he wants to have some alone time. He gets home at 3:30...isn't that enough alone time? I'm trying to not be clingy and needy from him. I totally feel this way. He feels like I constantly put guilt trips on him. I'm not doing that on purpose. AHHH....what do I do?

Ok, I better go to bed. Sleep always helps situations. I couldn't even get myself to relax, but letting you girls know what is going on in my life at the moment, is a wonderful thing. Thank you. Pray for me. I don't know how to pray for myself or Nick right at the moment. I know we need God's revelation in our lives, but it's seems pretty quiet right now in that part of my life.

I sure do miss you all. Angie, we are doing everything possible to figure out a way to make the wedding. Thank you for letting me know I have 3 months to rob a bank. :) Ok...I won't rob a bank, but I hope the lotto comes through. :)

I love you tons! Thanks for keeping up with this, so I can read it and know what is going on. I love each and every story!!