Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Beautiful Floor

Whew! Finally back online. And yes, I do have a beautiful floor underneath me... It was a crazy weekend needless to say. Actually, not really crazy, just tiring. David got off at noon on Friday and went to rent the sander. Upon starting we found out we had to chemically strip the floors first, as the sander was "gumming" up. We knew that we may run into this, but the "tests" that we performed did not point in the direction of having to strip them. Also, in speaking with others that had the gumming issue, they just went ahead and sanded, going through more sandpaper. But that wasn't an option. We were getting no where. So David went and got chemical stripper and needless to say he didn't get very far by the time I got home from work at 6pm. I sat down and decided it was going to be a long night, but knew it had to be done. And I was going at least a little faster than David. Thank God for the 'rents though! David had to call it an early night at 9:30 because he had to get up at 3am the next morning for work and mom and dad volunteered their hardwork and time to our effort. Dad stayed until 2am and mom stayed up with me until I took her home at 6am. I continued working as I only had a little bit more to go. David got off of work, I finished stripping as he sanded and we applied the stain at 1pm...another coat at 6pm on Sat. Sleep was good that night. Then on Sunday we came in to a "sticky" stained floor due to the humidity. It wasn't all bad, but while applying the final stain on Saturday it dried real quick and there were some thicker areas that couldn't be easily wiped up. So we had to make a decision and we decided to got ahead and poly the floor and waited twice the drying time. It ended up working out with the poly pushing the stain around a bit more, which made it look better. Came back Sunday night, applied second coat. David had to work the next morning, and before my alarm clock could even go off he was greeting me saying the final coat was done! Sweet! So we ended up being about 1 day behind, but considering the circumstances it went quite smooth. We ended up staying at David's 'rents for the weekend and they graciously let us stay 2 additional days, to allow the floor to "cure" before putting furniture on it and allowing the animals to run on it. As always, it was a learning experience. I'd be willing to do it again, but not anytime soon. It's amazing how much the chemical stripper burns. I got to do the "happy" dance while in pain, a few times that night due to the burning. Every so often you got a spot that you sat in or something and of course once one part starts burning there has to be about 2 more that start with it. Hey, it kept me awake. And mom and I had some interesting conversations. Fun times. David moved much of the stuff back into the rooms today while I worked and then I came home to hook up the tv stuff and computer. Then we got the animals. I think they had an enjoyable time with Sita and Alpa (david's 'rents), but it's nice to be home. I'll post some pics when I get the chance

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Last Post For A Few

This will be my last post for a few days, as I must disassemble the computer and place it somewhere for this weekend. But I wanted to write a few lines. Uncle Jerry and Aunt Diana were in town on Tuesday. It was very night to see them since it's been 4 years since we had seen them last. And actually it was the first time David had got to meet them. That's just crazy! As they say, time flies. We went out to eat at Marconi's then had yummy Toft's Ice Cream (Cotton Candy Confetti! Heck Yeah!) then they came over to see the house and we chilled for awhile. I got to show them my scrapbook I had made since we moved up. I'm not all into the scrapbooking like other people with getting all fancy but I made one with pictures from my mom's old books and the one's Grandma Q had sent up in the fall. It goes from each family, as young as the grandparents being babies, through my parents growing up, and then through my parents dating and getting married. It's something I'm "proud" of. I enjoyed doing it and I feel that now I have a piece of history that I can pass on, even though we don't plan to have any kids. Then Camie, Doug, and family came in on Wednesday. Very nice to see them since it's been awhile also, and Doug and his family are kind of like the new addition to the family. He's very nice and personable and the kids are real polite and just cool (what kid asks his dad if he can tell someone a joke....that's just too nice!). So we went to chet and matt's with them and went out to show them kalahari and I got my carmel apple with sprinkles (another one of my indulgences'), then of course they had to see our house too. They're planning on going to CP today and possibly tomorrow. So cross your fingers for them that it doesn't rain! Alright all, I better get going, talk to you in a few, hopefully with beautiful floors under me.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

The Floor Is Coming

Well, it's finally here. We're going to be doing our floor this upcoming weekend. Of course I already have everything off the walls and almost the entire downstairs (with the exception of the kitchen) stripped down to the bare minimum. Uncle Jerry, Aunt Diana, Camie, and her family will be in the next 2 days, so I had to keep my house functional for at least a few more days. Then the computer, tv, and everything else will come down...ship the animals to various places, including sita and alpa's and nana and pawpaw's. Then away we go. And it's only Tuesday. And you know I just had to check out what was under the crappy carpet in the cat room, yep, hardwood floors...so we tore up the downstairs bedroom (cat room) carpeting last night. We're crazy, we know, but better to get it done all in one shot then do all of this over again, not to mention we want uniformity with the floors if at all possible. I know it will look wonderful in the end. And the bottom line is it will get done...it has to get done. No matter how much sandpaper we need. On a lighter note, we had a nice weekend. I came home on Friday to the lawn being mowed (THANKS DAVID!) and just had a chill night. Then went up to Beachwood on Saturday, to PF Changs (our favorite chinese restaurant that is well worth the almost 2 hour drive) with both sets of 'rents, stopped up to see Aunt Cindy (by the ways she's doing great. Yes she can!), then had a somewhat chill day on Sunday finishing up with David helping out at The Chapel playing set for the youth group. Of course there were other things we did, but nothing worth mentioning that anyone would care about. Obviously I've been doing tons of cleaning and rearranging, not to mention tons of thoughts going around in my head trying to figure out some sort of schedule when to disassemble the computer, when to mow/edge the lawn since I can't do it this weekend (yes, believe it our not it is already time to mow...darn fertilizer),etc. Obviously my anxiety is through the roof. 1...Relax....2....Relax....3....Relax.....

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Evolution of Dance

Not sure if anyone has seen this, but my brother sent it to me and I just had to post it. It made me smile. Enjoy!

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Vote Taylor!

Hey all! Hope everyone's week is going well, as it is almost the weekend. Yes! Then one more week and we're doing our floors. Wish us luck...a bit nervous but I know we'll get it done....actually the bottom line is it must be done. Nothing real exciting has happened this week but one thing is the sun finally showed it's face a little on Tuesday and Wednesday. Now we're back to the dreary weather. Ho Hum. Work tends to be slow when it's nasty out. No one wants to bring their pets out in the rain, which is understandable, so that means lots of cancellations usually...not always. We'll see what happens today. Tonight we're going to Latitude. It's a "bible study" group for 20somethings that gets together, enjoys fellowship, and just hangs out. It's at The Chapel out there in Perkins, and people come from around the area and different churches. It's nice because it's not like we fit in to youth group anymore, but we're not in the "older" groups yet either. We haven't been in a few weeks, and needless to say it's shown in our attitudes. Isn't it amazing that when you take your eyes just slightly off of your "purpose" you tend to totally fall off the horse? All I gotta say is "devil, I'm taking it back!" So, last night we watched some TV which is actually quite abnormal for us. Usually we like to get out or we just don't have time. We've kind of been on and off with the whole American Idol thing, sometimes catching it and other days not, but we've been keeping up with who's in or out a lot more this season. And we were watching last night. Was anyone disheartened other than me? The past 2 weeks I've had people go that I didn't want let go. I understand it's a competition and the contestants will dwindle but man, I just felt bad for Chris and Elliot. You could just see the hurt in their eyes. They total deserve something like this and have never experienced anything like it in their lives. I just wanted to cry. I guess I can consider it partly my fault, as I do not vote....actually most people I know don't vote. Isn't that crazy?! If we voted it could totally change everything. Anyway, I think Taylor is awesome and have always stuck behind him. His attitude is something that I admire and this is something he's worked for a long time. It's not that I don't think Katherine is pretty or has a good voice, I think she does, but I'm just not knocked off my feet with her, and it's one of those things that I think she'd become famous even without this contest. So vote Taylor Hicks! Also in news, the Cavs won! Yay! Once again, I'm not a huge sports fan or a huge Cavs fan either, I just want the Pistons out. But you probably say "you lived up there for a year. you don't like the Pistons?" No, we hate the Pistons. When we lived up there we were inundated with Pistons crap. On the radio, the news, everywhere. It seemed as though after they won everyone jumped on the bandwagon. I hate that. And sorry, but they just didn't do it for me. So on that note Go Cavs! Have a good Thursday!

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

My Poem

Just had to share this with you all. I woke up this morning to a poem my MIL wrote to me for mother's day. I thought it was cute. Thanks Seeter!
(For those who don't know David's middle name is Jacob and his family calls him Jake)

"Ode to Heidi"

To a, "Big Easy," pet shop you and David did go. It seemed like any other day, until you shouted, "Oh no!"

"Hey Baby, I can't leave this puppy. He called me Momma, to that I'm sure." "We'll start a little family, one of love that will endure."

Soon came Natchez, Jax, then Lily, that came under your care. You called The Boy to meet them and agreed not to leave them there.

Into your home each were included. A larger family you all did make.

You are a wonderful, "Momma," and a loving wife to "The Boy", Jake.

Monday, May 15, 2006

The Hair Fiasco

Hello! I was too tired to post much last night, so here I am. Mother's Day was fun. Woke up, got a card and a cute shirt from David and the kids, did some wash, then it all happened. I washed my hair and decided before I styled it to trim my neckline and clean it up a bit. That's the problem with short hair...you may not need a full haircut, but you seem to always need "cleaned" up. So I started and then whoops! The clippers slipped and I had a not so pretty gouge of hair missing. I hollered for David, "Hey babe! Can you come up here and help me?" When he arrived I said that I made a boo boo and showed him. Needless to say, he said, "I can't do anything with that. You need to go to a hairdresser." I told him to call his mom (she works as a recept. at a hair place and she possibly could help me out.) No go. She was babysitting. What about my mom? She said, "Go to a hairdresser." So I quickly got in the shower to get the excess hair off, my mom picked us up, and we headed to the mall. Since it was sunday obviously my normal stylist was not available. I was calm with the entire situation, as I feel I do my hair not for myself but for those around me. Not to mention I've had many bad haircuts and hairdos, including my sister cutting my bangs way too short not once, but twice and one time the day before school pictures. But I got to say that I felt like a fool walking in saying, "I messed up." We went to mastercuts and the woman was very cool and nice about it. She ended up shaving up the back so it's pretty short and then I decided to go shorter all around with the exception of my front. Surprisingly I actually like it and you can hardly see the problem area. She said she could have gone shorter but I would have been down to the skin....and she said if I keep it as she did it the spot would be gone in a week. So, any normal person would not see it. And for all they know, it could be a scar.....Hey, I keep life interesting. And how appropriate...on mother's day I call to my mother's too get help...shouldn't that be the opposite? We all got a good laugh and it gave us something to do for part of the day.

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Today was Sloopy's 2nd birthday. Much fun was had as we all celebrated. The "kids" had some fun play and sharing (or should I say stealing Sloopy's new toys-especially Lily!) It's time for us to get to bed so I will write more tomorrow. Just you wait until you get to hear about my hair fiasco......



Friday, May 12, 2006

Our Lily Bean

The weekend is here. Actually, I can't say that yet. Both David and myself have to work tomorrow morning each for a few hours....but hey, then the weekend will be here. Nothing really planned. Seems as though the weather's going to be crummy and cold. That's one amazing thing about ohio (okay, there's more than just one thing), you can have a 70 degree day one day then a 40 degree day the next. It's about 9:30 and David's already hopped in bed. He's been surviving on about 5 hours of sleep each night. So he's exhausted.
I have to share something that we have been so excited about. Some of this I have already posted so it is kind of being repeated, but I just have to, because it's something amazing. If anyone knows be well, you know that my life revolves around my "kids" And although I know I am not a true mom I feel as though I do have kids and it's something I'm very proud of. I know that Mother's Day is around the corner but I want to share my appreciation that I have for my kids. As most of you know Lily has IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) which makes her have chronic diarrhea, oftentimes uncontrollably. We've had her for the past 2 years and have changed much of our lifestyle of living because of her disorder (special homemade diets, made a "special" room for the animals with commercial vinyl tablecloths covering the entire floor for easy cleanup, run every test you could think of on her, and even went as far to pull up the carpeting in our new house-okay, we probably would have done that anyway, but she definitely encouraged us). Both of our dogs are litterbox trained so it definitely helps the situation. She's always been one depressed pup with little spirts of happiness, however we couldn't let her go because we knew she had a good life and her good times made it worth it. With our yard she is now able to run outside and be a dog. Now she is one happy pup with tons of energy. She still has the loose stool, but she's been able to get to the appropriate areas. No accidents in several weeks, we haven't had to clean out her kennel in about 3 weeks (it used to be every time we came home), and her nighttime playpen has been packed away and she's been sleeping with us. I can definitely tell that she now feels as though she's part of the pack and is so happy to be here. Now if we can just figure out how to get used to having a rambunctious puppy again! I pray that this continues and we never have to go through what we've been through with her. But I can honestly say that every sleepless night, every messy kennel, and every accident is worth it just to see her happy even if it's for one moment. And I thank our family members who have been so gracious when she's around to put up with the issues and even help take care of her when needed. I couldn't imagine our lives without our "kids". Even with all of the "work" that we put in, it's so worth it when you come home at the end of a long day and have them all run to you saying "mommy, we love you!" A form of unconditional love found nowhere else.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Can We Help This Situation??

David and I are sitting around waiting to go to our "practice" so I figured I'd drop a few lines. For those who don't know, we've become more involved in our church-Calvary Temple. Recently we've been trying to focus on God's purpose and not ourselves, trying to redirect our lives in the appropriate manner. We're both very into music and it's always been a large part of both of our lives so we figured that our way to "give back" would be to help with praise and worship. The church has an older congregation so as you can guess our type of style is quite different than what they're used to. I appreciate their attempts of praise and worship and I need to remember why we're there (not us but for Him) but man, it's hard. Music to us is our "food" and I got to say that I'M HUNGRY! We want to grow the congregation and get people more involved. I hate to say it but some of the individuals that give so much ($) to the church will not be with us forever (if you know what I mean) and they cannot depend on them forever. So we got to get the younger people to come to church for many reasons! Needless to say our "intervention" is not going as smoothly as hoped. Everyone seems to have a different view of what should be done and trying to deal with eachother's schedules has become quite hectic and the buck seems to be being passed around. Very frustrating. Pastor Dave keeps saying, "In any ministry there will be hardship and setbacks, but you must keep going." And oftentimes I just want to give up. As most of you know I have tons of anxiety including bouts of OCD type behavior, so adding to that stress doesn't help the situation. Alright, I should not be complaining right???? Just had to get it off my chest. Please Lord let this practice go well and be productive....

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Did Anyone See This?

David and I don't watch much tv but last night we were channel surfing. Of course we landed on the history channel for a bit, watched something about how the pumps in New Orleans failed, then during a commercial continued surfing to find this thing on David Blaine. Did anyone watch his feat?! For anyone who doesn't know or didn't see it....he's a magician that does awesome street magic and also performs feats such as being buried alive, being frozen in time, etc. His mentor/idol is Houdini...so basicially he likes to take his stunts and take them up a notch. Anyway, this time he was going to be "drowned alive". For the past 7 days he was living underwater in this bubble thing in New York City. He had oxygen these past 7 days, but he would finish the 7 days by attempting to be "drowned alive" and hold his breath underwater for 9 minutes, making a world record. It was an awesome show as they showed how he prepared with breathing exercises, training with the SEALS, etc. They had a team of doctors, his coach, and some divers there too. Basically what the doctor said is that he would not recommend him performing the feat due to his health after the 7 days, in addition to exhaustion, etc. You should have seen his hands and feet! Talk about being a prune. Yuck! And of course during the show they showed bits of his street magic.....pulling a woman's teeth out and then blowing them back into her mouth...how'd they do that?! So we were moving closer and closer towards the actual moment and I could feel my chest getting tighter. I just could not imagine doing that. He's so relaxed...you can tell even when he speaks...just so quiet and subdued. His training teaches him to relax versus becoming anxious. As you can imagine, as this is happening I'm pacing the room and breathing deep for this guy.....as if it's helping? The bummer of it was that he only made it to 7 min 8 sec. But how can I say "only"? Could you imagine doing that yourself? No way! But it was an enjoyable show, anxiety and all. And I have definitely learned that I need to learn those breathing techniques and relaxation exercises.

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Another weekend past. Another new week. Hope everyone has a great start to their week!

Lauren's Shower

Here are a few pictures from Lauren's shower today.......





Saturday, May 06, 2006

Where We Are



Hope everyone has had a fun, fulfilling Saturday! I had a good start to the day. David had to get up a go to work for a couple hours but when he came home I woke up to him with a tray of donuts and 2 glasses of milk and we had breakfast in bed. What a wonderful husband and the donuts were great...haven't had any in awhile. They were from House of Donuts which I must say I prefer over Jolly Donuts....but I do miss my Krispy Kreme in New Orleans.....ah well. No hurricanes around here. Can't complain. We slept a bit then got up, went to Home Depot for our weekly jaunt to get stuff for our next project (our floors), then to good ol' Walmart, then home. We chilled outside with the pups. It's great to finally have a good backyard that we can enjoy. I can't say it enough. We took a few blankets out and laid in the sun. It was chilly but with laying on dark colored blankets it got toasty warm. Nice to relax. We spent some time with the 'rents...went to Pizza Post in Norwalk. Went to their house later and had a fire in their little chiminea (sp?) thing. All in all a great day. You know, sometimes you can miss the big city, but it's days like this where you can just relax and chill that it's nice to be "home". Not to mention it's great to have family around. You kind of miss that when you're away. We always said, "We're never coming back", and we never know what will happen in the future, but we sure are happy where we're at in our lives. We may not be as "well off" as we have been in the past but we have eachother and those around us. And we thank God for that on a daily basis. You can always see how important family is, but seeing it in my Aunt Cindy's blog has opened my eyes even more. You think, "yeah, I have extended family, yadah, yadah, yadah...." But you know if you needed them ever, they'd be there in a heartbeat not asking any questions. How comforting is that?! I've rambled enough today....hope I didn't confuse too many of you who read this. Love to all!

Friday, May 05, 2006

Today is Friday....Today is Friday.....

What a great week it's been. Nothing in particular has happened. It's just been a good week. We've been going to bed at about 9:30 each night. Its amazing how 1-2 more hours of sleep can help you....at least me...not David though since he's getting up so early. Thanks to everyone who's been visiting and commenting. It's crazy how simple this thing is, yet so cool because you can keep in touch with people. For instance I don't know when the last time I talked to KD or Jacki was but I can see what's going on in there life and them in mine. And it's one of those things too where you don't even have to write but you can just read and keep up to date. Anyway, I like it. I just hope I can keep up with it. I must say I wasn't a big journal/diary type of person ever. However, I have used them in the past (when I was in the hospital and when David was doing all of his MC stuff) and it definitely "helped" by letting me vent and "talk" to someone by rambling on. So speaking of, I didn't get to write last night. David got home from his audition and it was one of those nights where you just have to talk. Basically if he wants to be in, he can be (speaking of the national guard band). I'm still waiting for stuff in writing. Not to mention that if he were to enlist he'd have to got to 3 weeks of warriors training which basically is something to help you get in shape. I think it's a good thing, however something tells me his new job wouldn't be thrilled....just a guess! Plus his 2 reserve weeks this year would be the first 2 weeks of July.....once again if he did 3 weeks away from work possibly in June and then 2 weeks in July, I don't think it'd fly with his job, not to mention he'd be gone for 4th of July. Not that it's anything big, but it'd just bum me out. I thought I was done with all of the Marine Corps wife stuff????? Okay, it's not the Marine Corps, but it will sure feel like it if he's away for all that time. We're not sure if he'd come home on the weekends of the warrior training stuff or not (it's in cleveland). And we're back where we started.....hurry up and wait. He said the guy who auditioned him was real cool and everything was laid back. Anyway, we'd appreciate any prayers that are thrown our way. It's just one of those things.....you need to do what you gotta do, but at the same time do what's right, and hope to not get burned (again). Otherwise not much is going on here. Mom and Dad came over with Sloopy and Woody yesterday evening so that was a good time. They also painted the threshold for our back door with outdoor paint while we were away....how nice was that? Thank you! By the way, thank you for all you do. We love you and appreciate all you do. I go in at noon today, but friday mornings are my day to do cleaning, so I better get started on that. Hope everyone has a great day and great weekend!

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

God Smiles When We Trust Him

I was reading the Purpose Driven Life today and my title for this post was my "point to ponder" for the day. I like it. What is new around here? David went to the dentist today and found out all is well with the exception of having one cavity. Ah well. And the doctor recommended him getting braces (say what?!) Yeah, needless to say that's out of the question. But the dentist thought it'd help with tartar, etc because he has so many crevices that stuff gets caught in. You know what I told him?? FLOSS! Not that I can talk. I had a pretty good day at work. Nothing much. We weren't very busy so I got to work on school work. My semester doesn't start until the last week of May, but I'm basically half way done with my courses (distance learning classes). I figured I had the books, materials, and syllabus...why not get started? That way I'm not so slammed once it actually starts and I can kind of enjoy my summer. David has a busy day tomorrow. He works from 4a-noon and then will be going down to columbus to "tryout" for the national guard band. Yes, I actually said national guard. He's been pushing the idea around...but we have to get a few things in line before anything is signed, if they would want him. Such as, we want to make sure he continues getting his disability in addition to his reserve pay, and that they won't have any issue with his weight (he basically never made weight while in the marine corps-and you can get waivers for it while in the national guard). The band unit is basically nondeployable and with them you are a musician first whereas with the USMC you're a "basic rifleman" first then your MOS (job) second. The big draw of him possibly enlisting is a decent signing bonus. With the move and David's recent luck with jobs in the area the "extra money" will hopefully help us financially by meeting our everyday needs so we can put even more away in our savings on a monthly basis. We'll have to see. We've been trying to do home improvements on a weekly basis too. Our next large task is refinishing out hardwood floors. We pulled up the carpet a few weeks ago and are purchasing materials on a weekly basis and are planning to refinish them memorial day weekend. We'll keep you posted. Hope y'all have a good night!

Cats

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

New job and Playtime







So David started his new job yesterday. It's with AVI foodsystems. He travels around to local factories and fills the vending machines, takes inventory, etc. He seemed to like it and his hours (4a-noon) didn't bother him too much. However, we did end up going to bed at 9:30 last night. Haven't done that in awhile! We've both been tired lately and have seemed to have trouble sleeping the entire night. I'm sure that has to do with everything that's on our minds though. Lily's been doing great lately. As dad says, "she's a totally different dog." Her and Viking have been going outside on a daily basis playing in our fenced in yard. She's no longer on a "special" diet and she's perky and turned in to quite the anklebiter for Viking. We're even to the point where she's been able to sleep with us and not in her playpen and not have an accident! I think her just being able to get outside is great for her. David said, "well, I guess we'll have to move to florida so she can go outside year round." I'm posting some pictures of they're playtime from this weekend (including Sloopy and Woody). I'm just about to start my next semester of school....only a million more to go. Last semester went well and I got both A's, but it was more work than previous. I'm figuring it's because it was my first semester back in a year and I'm sure they changed some of their protocols and I also entered the Level 2 (of 4) classes. Got to get ready for work.