My Old Lady

by Jeremy

1. Where did you meet your wife? "Is Ron Craig still here?"

2.How long did you date before you were married? It should have been 19 days this way God would have approved of the 20th day activites

3.How long have you been married? 4.5years

4.What does she do that surprises you? Loves me! Pretty craz babe

5. What is your favorite feature of hers? Cara

6. What is her best quality? organization

7.Does she have a nickname for you? BAAAABBBEEEE

8. What is her favorite food? MY orange chicken (eat your heart out Panda)

9. What is her favorite sport? Volleyball… just like bella

10. When and where did you first kiss? First good one was on randalls perfectly swept front poarch

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Dinner and a movie

12. Do you have children? 1

13.Does she have any hidden talents? Farting; just waiting for you to unhide it

14. How old is she? 27

15. Who said "I love you" first? you did and it was nicely set up in a note

16. What is her favorite music? Christian or death metal

17. What do you admire most about her? Right now I must say the bible reading is pretty impressive

18. What is her favorite color? Pink

Birthday Boy!

Look who's 5 today!

Name: Andrew Dean

Born: December 3, 2003 @ 12:13 am

Buddies: Jade and Patrick

(Shown here at his sleepover this past Saturday)


Favorite character: Darth Vader
(Isn't this an awesome cake?! The Darth Vader head is made out of chocolate!)

He had a blast at the park by our house on Sunday for his party!

Favorite Mode of Transportation: Scooter

(He finally has a replacement for the one mommy and daddy left at the softball field a few months ago. Thanks Kiki!)

Favorite movie(s): Star Wars

(Here he is with episodes IV thru VI. Hmmm, I wonder what he'll get for Xmas?)

Favorite Restaurant: Chen's

(He loves the Egg Drop Soup)

Favorite Dessert: Pumpkin Pie

(That's what he chose for his birthday dessert. We had to swing by Safeway before heading home from Chen's)

Turkey Waddle

So, I missed the deadline to register for the Turkey Trot when the cost was $18/person. When I went online to register this week, the price was $25/person. I really didn't want to spend $50 for Jeremy and I to run in it, especially knowing that I could have only paid $18/person.

Jeremy suggested I look up the price for the Turkey Waddle in Queen Creek. It was only $10/person. We decided to do that (and I was excited because it was a 5K instead of a 10K).

Jeremy and I had a good time. My personal goal time was to complete it in 40 minutes. I've never done it faster than 45 minutes. Jeremy pushed Andrew in the jogging stroller and stayed with me. He's so nice to do that, because I know I slow him down so much. He's very encouraging and motivating to run with, too (as I'm sure you can imagine).

I surprised myself and only walked once when my side cramp was excruciating. And I only walked for a few feet because I realized it wasn't helping the cramp go away so I might as well run it off. Plus, I was worried if it went away while I walked, it would be back when I started running again.

Well, Jeremy really pushed us to run hard to the finish line and when we ran across the finish line they yelled out 37 minutes 47 seconds! Yay!

I really enjoyed the event and the weather was great. It rained all night, but the clouds disappeared when we showed up at the school and the air was nice and crisp. It felt so good with the cold breeze in my face.

Of course, I forgot my camera, but I was emailed a link to the segment Fox 10 did on the event if you want to watch it. Turkey Waddle

Summit Entertainment announced today that the studio is officially moving forward with the production of NEW MOON (Nov 22 summit-ent.com)

That's exciting! How am I suppose to wait for this now?! I can hardly stand the wait until Friday to see the movie again and have Jeremy see it!
I enjoyed the movie very much. It is not as good as the book and I would highly recommend reading the book over just seeing the movie, but I think the movie would be enjoyed without reading the book. It's hard to tell though - I'm biased by the book I think. There were some things I didn't like about the movie, but I don't want to spoil any part of it for others that may not have seen it yet. I have heard it's better the 2nd time seeing it so I'm counting on that!
I was really glad I went to the midnight showing. It was a fun experience and I had a great time with all the girls. Mad props to Selene and her mom, aunt, and cousins for saving us 12 AWESOME seats! Also, more props to the manager of AMC who allowed 7 of us girls to swap out our tickets to get into the theatre Selene was in without looking annoyed at us at all! Fun times I tell ya!

Lupe, Selene, Victoria, Mindy, and Cherish

Paula, Christina, and me. Yes, that is a 'Team Edward' shirt I am wearing...

After seeing the movie again, I will have a better critique on it (don't worry - I'll warn if there's any spoilers).

Crazy Dayz

I've been busy!!! (That's in response to my husband's comment on the previous post).

I have been loving my busy days at work (and at home when I'm working from there), but it means rare occasions for updating this blog. *tear*

Since the next couple of weeks are not busy enough, I have committed myself to the Turkey Trot 10k on Thanksgiving with Jeremy. I am trying to prepare (that means doing my regular 4 days at the gym alternating the stationary bike and elliptical machine). I know that may not help my running, but I really dislike running on a treadmill. It may be because I run and run and go nowhere, I stare at the time all the live-long-run (and it drags by), and I get super sweaty and it's gross. So I will run the blasted 6 miles this Saturday around our neighborhood to see if I don't die, and if I don't, then I will be doing it again on Thursday (if my legs can still function). I'm scared.

I am spending tomorrow night (at midnight) with some friends at the theatre for Twilight. I know you just thought to yourself, "nerd," and it's true (I admit it - OK?). I really loved the books and am so excited to see it come to life onscreen. I'll let you know what I thought of it, but I'm sure it'll be something like, "It was great, I loved it, I'm dragging Jeremy to it so I can see it again." Yes, I heard you say, "nerd" out loud now!

Then I am spending Friday and Saturday scrapbooking and making Christmas cards. Yes, both days, all day. Nothing else (except eating - oh and killing myself on the run Saturday am).

OK, now you're updated!

The Haps

Andrew probably had a point in regards to my last post. I have been sick for a month now, I think. Sometimes it seems like it's going away and then I'll have a day that I don't want to get out of bed and all the stuffiness and gunk is back in my head and chest. I'm kind of remembering that this happens to me every now and then and when I finally go to the doctor, they say it's Walking Pneumonia. I made an appointment for tomorrow so hopefully they will give me some antibiotics that will kick this out of my system. I'm sick of hacking up a lung and blowing my nose!

Some news: I will be working a little bit more. I've taken over my co-workers job in the accounting department so I'm a one-man-show now. I normally work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:00-5:00 (24 hours a week), but I am going to add another 4 hours on Tuesday and another 4 hours on Thursday. This will entitle me to full time benefits such as holiday pay and vacation pay. The real benefit is that I can work Tuesday and Thursdays from home. They gave me remote access so I can bring work home with me and bring it back the next day. Nice, huh?! This will be my first week working these hours and I'm excited to see how it goes.

Jeremy and I are headed to the Cardinals game tonight (versus the 49ers). A large group from our church is going so that should be fun in itself. My co-worker was going to go to the game, but decided to sell her tickets at the last minute so she is letting me use her clothes for tonight. She's got a jersey, jacket, socks, and red Crocs for me to wear! I'm all set!! I'm really happy to not have to wear my work clothes to the game.

My cousin Josh got married on Saturday and it was a great wedding! Very fancy and sophisticated! They got married in a castle in Chandler. Kristina is such a sweet girl and I know that they will be so happy together. It was fun to see my family and watch Andrew dance around to the fast songs. He also had a chance to dance with Kristina for the money dance. He looked so handsome. My cousin Ashley said, "Can't you just picture him at his wedding?!" I was like, "NO!" Although, the way time flies, it'll be here before I know it, I'm sure!!!

I don't have any pictures because I reverted back to my old self. The one that doesn't take any pictures of anything!

We had Andrew's last soccer game, Tess's soccer game, Jeremy's mom's birthday picnic, and the wedding in one day and no pictures to show for it!

Plans are finally coming together for our spontaneous Iowa trip in December. I will be sure to take pictures of that! In the meantime, you'll be lucky if you get any from Thanksgiving, but I'll be sure to have plenty of Andrew's birthday.

Where Does He Come Up With This Stuff?

This was my conversation with Andrew this morning before leaving the house:
Andrew: (coughing)
Me: Andrew, you sound like you got sick.
Andrew: That's because you gave me too many kisses and now I'm sick!!!
Me: Oh! I was thinking it was because it's 68 degrees in our house and you don't sleep with your covers on.

Finale

Well, to end my previous story. I never got a call back and now I can see what must have happened. Deb was a Democrat and anyone who called that was registered a Republican was told they were inactive and had to be transferred to Voter Registration for a "call back." However, we never get a call back and therefore sit and home and not vote. Her plan succeeded and therefore Obama won. I'm sure she's happy with herself. Hmph.

Race to the Polls

Not for me. I just called the phone number for Pinal County to see where the heck I'm suppose to go to vote. (I didn't know you couldn't go anywhere) and, after waiting for 12 calls ahead of me, a woman (Deb) said I had to go to precinct 87 in Copper Basin. OK, I know where that is. I'm off.
Not so fast! Deb than tells me it shows I'm inactive and she needed to transfer me to Voter Registration department. I get a voicemail. I'm not sure if that is the right department so I just left my name and phone number and said I was apparently inactive and I guess I have to get that changed.
So, I'm wondering if that was what I was supposed to do, so I call the phone number back and after 17 calls I get Deb again. She says that I was correct to leave my name and phone number. She says they are busy, but should get back to me soon. I asked if I can do anything online to change my status and she said "at this point, no."
So I wait for the call back.
To be continued...

Halloween Fun

Yesterday was a hectic day! I had to work and it was a busy, busy day! We had a nice potluck for lunch, but the rest of the day was pure chaos! Everyone wanted to leave early, but work had to be done so we left at 4:30; only half hour early. I picked up Andrew and we headed home.

Jeremy had planned to make a dinner for his co-workers while I was going to go trick-or-treating with Erin and her kids. We had a nice time and it seems there were just enough houses in our neighborhood to fill up the kids' candy buckets before they were too exhausted. We enjoyed a nice (but late) dinner and some ice cream.

The trick-or-treaters: Quinten, Barrett, Jill, AJ, and Andrew

Darth Vader

Andrew's Darth Vader pumpkin for school. He carved it with Jeremy's help and painted it all by himself. I did the white crayon.

Boo (hoo) at the Zoo

We were asked to go to the zoo by Gail (Jeremy's mom) and I tried every excuse to get out of it. Hey - they were valid excuses!!! Things like, we have no money (very true right now), I have just enough gas in my car to get me around Monday and Tuesday (and I can fill up Wednesday when I get paid), and finally, I don't like the zoo.

I guess, that last one is not very valid since I had only 2 prior experiences at the Zoo. The first time was my nephew's birthday party and the only animals I saw were giraffes and some reptiles. And the second time was for Zoo-lights so I didn't see any animals (except in the petting zoo). It's not that I don't like the zoo, it's just that I don't have any desire to go to the zoo. Probably one reason being the drive, and another reason being the crowd of people. Plus, we just went to the zoo in Chicago and we saw a ton of animals - probably the same ones the Phoenix Zoo has.

Anyway, despite my reasons to not go, Gail had many reasons for us TO go. She somehow had "free tickets" that enabled us 3, herself, Josh, Mindy, Randi, Brad, and Christopher to get in for free (Kristi and Steve already have a membership for their family and Dustin). She said they were bringing lunch for everyone so we don't have to spend money once there. And she even offered to pick us up, drive us, and drop us off again. Geesh, I was really out of excuses. Besides, I really enjoy hanging out with Jeremy's family so I was already wanting to give in despite my monetary excuses and crowd anxiety.

Well, we went and had a great lunch and took the kids to the little water play area. Then we saw the giraffes, zebras, a few monkeys, orangutans, and 2 elephants. Then we went home. Oh wait, after we watched Jeremy dance to win Andrew a Winnie the Pooh Heffalump Halloween DVD at the Radio Disney tent.

It was Boo at the Zoo so it was a tad crowded. Apparently I am the only one annoyed at people the stand at exhibits for a long time. I am perfectly happy to stand there for about 2 minutes, but then I want to move on. It must be my impatience because I have not come across anyone else who feels the same way. Jeremy thinks I'm crazy because I don't want to stand there all day and watch the same animals. Hmmm, maybe it's a sign that I need to ssssllllllooooowwww down and enjoy life.

Oh and by the way, the "free tickets" were year memberships that Gail bought us! This means I will have plenty of time over the next year to slow the heck down, enjoy life, and become fond of those animals and crowds! Haha! Really, I am excited to give the Zoo a fighting chance for approval in my mind!

Next time I'll post pictures of the animals, but I'll leave you with the video of the Dad's competing for the Heffalump DVD (they all won by the way).

S-C-O-R-E

All I can say is the bribery worked.

And the reward for the goal is Dippin' Dots ice-cream. He loves those little frozen balls of ice-cream... So worth the effort in his book. Notice his large Icee next to the ice cream. That's for trying the entire game. He didn't stop trying after half time. He kept right on the ball and trying to score more goals.

OK, enough of the proud mommy moment!

A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned

Cup O Noodles! I forgot that I do actually like Cup O Noodles. I bought a case of them yesterday at Fry's because they are only $.25/each. So, I spent $3 and have 12 days worth of lunches for work. Not a bad deal! I wasn't too thrilled with the thought of eating 12 cups of these noodles, but after eating the first one today, it's not such an unwelcome thought.

So, while people are munching on their blessed Pei Wei's, I am eating a cup o noodles that only cost me $.25 versus their $10.00 or so. (They could've bought 40 Cup O Noodles!).

Thanks to Fry's and their 'By the Case' sale I spent $107.00 on groceries yesterday and my savings were $102.00. Now my pantry is packed with canned goods and Mac N Cheese (amongst other goodies). And, did you know you don't have to buy the whole case - you can just grab one or two or four of everything? I was a little worried to go in there and have to buy a case of Mac N Cheese (that would be 48!), but I asked Customer Service and they clarified that I do not have to do such a thing. I just thought I'd let you know in case you were confused, as well. Like the group of 3 Rural Metro guys that were standing around scratching their heads looking at the case of Mac N Cheese arguing over if they should grab the case or not. I eased their minds and passed on the good news that they can just grab a few boxes. It's not like they didn't have the time though, as Jeremy says, "they were probably done lifting their weights and were probably passing time before they head out to play basketball somewhere while the truck sits in the bay waiting for its 2nd washing of the day." "At least their services only cost the good folks of Queen Creek $700 a year each," he would add sarcastically.

Oooohhh got 'em!

Chili

On Tuesday I made chili for the Home Group we attend. As I mentioned, this is award winning chili. As in, my mom found this recipe in a magazine and made it for a chili cook-off and won. I did the same, and won. It's not like we created this recipe. Therefore, I think it's fair to tell you how to make it.
Ingredients are as follows (or seen above and below):
1 pound bulk pork sausage
1 pound ground beef
2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) hot chili beans
1 jar (16 ounces) salsa
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, not drained
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
8 ounces process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Here's the beef and pork cooking away.
Ooh, and the cheese getting ready to be cubed.
And here it is being made into the chili. Be cautious, it is spicy, but it is really meaty and beany and heartily delicious! Tortilla chips and corn bread go good with it. Use sour cream to cool it off a bit.

Do you like how I remembered to use my camera?!

The Host

I just finished The Host by Stephenie Meyer. It was a pretty good book. I would really like to see it as a movie. It was a very interesting story and I don't think I've seen any movie like it. That doesn't say much though. I don't think anyone has heard, "What? You've never seen that movie?!" as much as I have.

I think it would be fun to have the imagination of this author! I admire that she can think up stuff like this (and the Twilight series), make it interesting, and have it make sense. I would love to have that creativity!

I need more books. Any recommendations? I have always wanted to read the Shopaholic series if anyone has any of those lying around...

Sweet-Tooth

I think I read an article once that spoke about a certain vitamin deficiency in our body that causes us to have a sweet tooth. I can't remember what vitamin it is that we are lacking when this happens. Whatever it is, I must be seriously deficient in because I have a HUGE sweet tooth. But, when I am regularly taking a multi-vitamin, I notice that I don't crave as much sweet stuff.
It's not often that I take a multi-vitamin daily because the things are BIG and I don't like swallowing pills and the after taste is gross! Well, Jeremy told me that he takes Andrew's vitamins (they are like Flintstone vitamins, but the Kirkland brand). I was surprised at first, but then I tried one and they are tasty! I remember I used to take them when I was younger, but I would get bloody noses (from too much iron) and had to stop taking them.
Well, it's been 5 days and I've taken one of Andrew's vitamins every morning and I am craving things like celery with peanut butter, apples, carrots, and cheese for snacks. This is really unlike me and I love it! Normally I choose chocolate, candy and/or cookies. How weird! So, there must be enough of whatever vitamin I was deficient in Andrew's vitamins to put a stop to my sweet tooth!
There were 2 cakes at Home Group last night and I turned down a piece no problem! Last week I ate 2 huge brownies without thinking twice. However, I did end up eating a small piece from the cake that no one had eaten yet. Mostly because I felt sorry for it and a little bit because it had Rainbow Chip frosting. I would've been fine without eating it though. Pre-vitamin fulfillment, I wouldn't have comprehended the idea of passing it up in the first place. In fact, I would've had a larger piece of that and tried the other cake, too!
Is it bad for me to take these children's vitamins? It seems like a good thing to me! Until I get bloody noses anyway.
And, I'll end on that lovely note!

Not so snap-happy

I sit down to blog and I realize that I am terrible at remembering to take pictures! How much more great would this entry be with pictures? Oh well, I guess we'll never know!
Jeremy and I had a barbecue at our house Friday. It was a blast! Many of our friends were able to come. Jeremy barbecued a pork loin, hamburgers, hot dogs, and short ribs. Jeremy is the self-proclaimed "Grill Master" (as backed up by me and a few others) so it was no wonder that everything was amazing! The pork loin took 3 hours to cook and it was well worth it (I think Jeremy would agree - being as I didn't cook it, I can't say for sure, I guess). Jeremy conducted a horseshoe tournament in which he and Timmy took 1st place. Dallas made 2 golden horseshoe trophies for the winners. I don't know where to put Jeremy's... Maybe next to his golf trophy from a couple weekends ago; the one of a golfer knelt down with his butt in the air and picking his nose to get a good shot at the hole. Yes, I think that would be a good place for it. On second thought, I may have to send them with him to work so they may decorate his office.

I was not feeling well Friday and it got worse on Saturday. I made it to Andrew's soccer game (which I'm glad I did; I'll explain in a minute), but then went home and slept from 11-3 going back to bed at 8:30 or so. I really didn't feel better, but I knew I couldn't (or shouldn't) stay in bed all day.

Going back a step, Andrew's soccer game was fun! In addition to the regulars (me, Jeremy, my mom, and dad) my sister and Jeremy's mom joined us. Everyone was amazed at how Andrew really seemed to be playing so much better. What's this?! He's going for the ball in the thick of the crowd?! He's making a break for the goal with the ball almost every chance he gets?! He almost scored a goal?! Hee hee, Jeremy and I weren't surprised (Shhhh... we bribed him with an Icee from Chevron if he actually tried to play. "Trying" as in doing all of the things listed above). No one ever answered me if that was a good or bad thing to do to a four year old, but it worked. Andrew actually said he enjoyed his game this week! Usually he says he'd rather go to practice. So, it hasn't seemed to hurt him so far.

Well, enough about the weekend. I am feeling better and ready to tackle my to-do list this week.

Things on my agenda this week:

• Taking the cat to the vet tomorrow (dang animal has sores all over his head and ears - allergies, I think).
• Working out (Tuesday and Thursday and hopefully more).
• Making dinner for Home Group on Tuesday (I think it is cool enough outside for my mom's and mine award-winning chili. Yum).
• Hopefully having a fun night in (or out) with some girls from the church on Friday.
• Andrew's soccer practice on Wednesday.
• Andrew's soccer game on Saturday.
• Clean the downstairs and backyard after that crazy barbecue.

Maybe I'll remember to bring my camera to some of these events. And, if I remember my camera, hopefully I'll remember to snap some pics!

Keep dreaming!

Camping

This weekend Jeremy, Andrew, and I took a trip up to Seneca Lake on the San Carlos Reservation past Globe to do some camping and fishing. We were joined by our friends, Josh and Cherish and their kids, and Dallas and Kayla and their kids. We checked the weather before we left and it said 30% chance of rain in that area. Well, apparently it was a ty-po and should've said 130% chance of rain. We got to our campsite around 2:00 and set up our tents. As soon as they were up, the rain started coming down. It would drizzle for a little while, sprinkle for a little while, and then rain hard for a little while. Dallas and Kayla had to leave since they had a 2 month old baby that was not enjoying the wet weather in the least bit! Can you blame him?! Luckily they have friends about 45 minutes away (in Globe) and stayed with them.
Us and the Porter's toughed it out and it was tough! It sprinkled all through dinner. The guys had to cook the burgers over the grill holding an umbrella while Cherish, me, and the kids huddled under the ramada with a portable propane heater and the campfire nearby. It stopped raining for a bit after dinner so we lounged by the campfire and made some s'mores. As soon as we were done with the s'mores, it began raining again. So, we called it a night and retired to our tents.
The rain lasted all night in the same drizzle, sprinkle, rain hard pattern. It even began lightning and thundering! At about 4 in the morning we heard the Porter's opening and closing their truck and we thought for sure they were bailing. However, it turns out the rain was coming into their tent so they were forced to sleep in their truck. That had to be uncomfortable considering they have a family of 4 and have 2 big dogs.
Around 5am I realized our tent was leaking, too. My sleeping bag was soaked. I had to hop in to Jeremy's sleeping bag (which was probably the highlight of his trip... Heehee j/k).
Finally, the sun was up and the rain seemed to have stopped. We made it through the night and were rewarded by mostly sunny skies that morning and afternoon. The guys went fishing with the kids and Cherish and I could hang out and chit-chat without yelling at the kids to get out of the mud and to stop sitting on the ground, etc. It finally felt like a vacation.
The rain appeared to be rolling back in around 1:30 so we packed up and left. We had a yummy lunch in Globe and was home around 4:30. My car is a muddy disaster, but at least we made Andrew happy to have gone camping this summer.
Andrew caught the most fish, by the way (out of the guys and kids). He caught catfish, blue gill, and bass. He would cast the line and reel them in all on his own! He really enjoyed it and Jeremy is looking forward to taking him fishing again soon. I'll join them if the chance of rain is 0% and nothing more. ;-)

Oh Here We Go

I'm in the mood to offend. Just kidding! I'm debating to even type up this post actually. This is more likely to just embarrass myself. My dilemma is I haven't a clue about who to vote for; McCain or Obama. I just assume not vote for anyone. I don't follow politics and I don't have a clue who stands for what on which issues. (<------That was a retarded sentence and I'm sure it really shows my ignorance all around). I shall continue anyway.
On occasion, I've tried to read articles about each candidate, but I quickly become confused or bored on the topic of the article. I'm a disaster when it comes to trying to understand stuff I've never quite had an interest in. No, my country's interests are obviously not that important to me. I can almost feel the cringes from certain people reading this who are following this election. Sorry!
Out of pure boredom today I made it my mission to read up on the two candidates. I found a great website that broke it down in my kind of language. This is the site: http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/politics/issues.aspx. Now, this is a Christian News site and, as far as I could tell, fairly impartial. I couldn't tell if they favored one candidate over the other anyway. It was nice and easy to click on one of the issues and see generally how each Senator has voted in the past, how he feels now, and what their plan is so far on the topic. They were short and to the point. I studied each topic (even the ones I don't understand much of). I have a headache now, but I feel so much more informed on each candidate.
My problem now is that no one stood out to me as someone I completely agree with. What do I do now? I guess on my next boring day of work, I'll have to research even further. I have notes that I made on each candidate and maybe I'll review those over the next couple weeks and try to consider my own opinions on the war, abortion, tax cuts, healthcare, Social Security, etc.
I thought I would just post that website if anyone else out there is like me; curious about the candidates, but bored quickly when it comes to political debates.
Happy reading!

Finally - a Soccer Mom

I am officially a soccer mom! Andrew had his choice between Basketball and Soccer this season and he chose Soccer. Although, he did have a tough time deciding between the two.

This is Andrew's first time involved in an organized sport. He has practices on Wednesdays and games on Saturdays. This picture was taken on his first Wednesday practice (the 17th).

The thing I love about this picture is his enthusiasm! Andrew is usually the shy boy that I have to push away from me to go with teachers, other adults, etc. It amazes me that he is so smiley in this picture for another reason; he was asleep in the car and I had to wake him up when we got to the field. Usually when I wake him up, he is fussy and/or crying and just a pain in my butt. He got a little fussy, but then I told him to grab the Soccer ball and he seemed to snap out of his almost breakdown.

He had no problem going with the other kids and doing what the coach told him in the practice and he didn't have any meltdowns the whole 45 minute practice.

He had an OK first game. He was a little excited about it, but got a little nervous when Jeremy kept asking him if he was ready for his "big game" all morning. Then seeing Grandma and Grandpa at the field, along with Grandpa Danny and Candy, Andrew got his usual timid look on his face like he was thinking, "What have I gotten myself in to?"

However, he did a good job practicing before the game and he was one of the first 4 players out on the field while the other 4 teammates sat out. He did fine running around trying to get the ball, but then collided with a girl from the other team and they bonked heads. The girl kept playing unphased, but Andrew walked off the field crying, holding his head. It took awhile before I could get him to go sit with the other teammates on the side and wait to go back in. He kept wanting to cry and sit on my lap. Jeremy had to give him "the talk." Probably something along the lines of, "Dry it up - you have to be number one, son, and you won't be number one if you leave the field crying." Just kidding. I don't know what was said, but it worked. He went back in and was timid, but eventually started smiling and running after the ball again.

Jeremy told him that if he scores a goal in a game we will take him to Dippin' Dots for a treat (Andrew's favorite place). I wonder if he'll score any points with that incentive. Does that kind of stuff work?

Oh, and Jeremy was happy to learn that the team's name is the Panthers. That was the name of the Soccer team Jeremy played on.

I'll post more pictures soon.

The Lake

This is the Lake. Rock Lake in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. My family has been vacationing here for 52 years. Yes, 52 years! My Grandpa Chet started the tradition back in 1956, packing up the wife and kids and heading from Iowa to Wisconsin for vacation each summer. My mom liked the town so much that she moved there, which ultimately lead to her meeting my dad (who moved to Lake Mills his senior year of High School). I guess this town has some roots for me, huh?! This was mine and Jeremy's 7th year (Andrew's 5th year) vacationing with my family. It's definitely an unbreakable tradition for us now, as well!

Andrew enjoys the lake more than anything else in Wisconsin. He loves to wake up and head straight out to the lake and hang out there ALL day. No meals necessary! Just give him a bathroom break every now and then, some water to drink, and the sand and lake. He's set! Here he is steering a remote control boat with Uncle Chet and Logan.

Here is the sandy beach that he played at all day every day!

Kayak trip with daddy!

Don't worry, Dad. I got this!

Tubing (notice - outside of the wake)!

Jeremy's turn!

Here is Andrew playing Pole Golf in the back of my Grandma's cottage.

Me and Jeremy at the Sand Bar.

Our last night in Wisconsin. (Tear, sigh). Fish Fry at the Pine Knoll is another tradition. We've not missed a year at Pine Knoll. I go for the dessert - Strawberry Shaum Torte (sp?). Pictures are fuzzy. Dang cheap camera...

My Grandma and John.

Aunt Debbie, DC, and Michelle.

Uncle Dave and Kate.

Daniel and Aunt Diane.

A real rainstorm that lasts all afternoon (not just 15 min.) - with no dust! I love it! That's why Wisconsin is so green and we're so brown, I guess.

Chi Town

This year our annual vacation was a little different. The airfare to Chicago was cheaper than the airfare to Milwaukee so we decided to tack on a couple days to our trip and see some sights in Chicago. Neither Jeremy or I have ever been.
We took the public transportation everywhere. The cost was $9.00 for a 2-day pass for me and $9.00 for a 2-day pass for Jeremy. Andrew was free. That is as many rides as you want on the L-train and the buses. Pretty sweet deal!

Here's Andrew "driving" a fake train at the O'Hare Terminal L-train stop.
Here is Andrew and I on the L-train from O'Hare to the city.

Our first day in Chicago, we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It's a free zoo, but it is just like any other zoo I've been to. Same cool animals, it's just free! Amazing! We ate dinner at the Weber Grill which was recommended by Josh. It was neat to see the indoor grills that they cooked the food on. Of course, the food was yummy! I had a big ol' hamburger and Jeremy had Prime Rib. Then we took a trip downtown to take a gander at the Sears Tower. It was TALL, of course. We didn't spend the $18 each to take a trip up it, but it was still fun to see it from below. Due to my memory card malfunction, I don't have pictures of any of those sights.

We did get to see Union Station though. It's a train station and I'll swear that I've seen it in the movies, but I don't know which movies... It was cool and really old looking inside. Just a big room with a lot of old brown wood benches everywhere. It was really quiet in their, too. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? What movie(s) is this place in? I should've taken a picture of the inside...

Day 2 we visited the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum. We ate at Pizzeria Uno's (yummy!) and we had dessert at the Hershey's Factory (brownies, cookies, ice cream, etc.).

This is a picture of Nemo. Andrew took the picture! He was very proud of it!

Again, Andrew's photography of a shark!

The Field Museum - the same museum in A Night at the Museum w/ Ben Stiller.

Andrew, Jeremy, and Sue. The largest complete T-rex. That is not her real skull. It weighed too much to put on the skeleton. The real skull is upstairs on display. It weighs 600 lbs. I think.

Beautiful Chicago. View from Shedd Aquarium.

Preschool

Andrew had his first day of preschool yesterday. Up until yesterday morning, he was not looking forward to this new adventure. He was saying, "I don't want to go to school!" I was pretty worried. I was thinking that if he dislikes school already, that's going to be a long 14 odd years of his life. I tried thinking of ways to get him excited for school, but I couldn't come up with anything that worked.
Fortunately, he woke up yesterday morning with a new attitude. I'm not sure what changed his mind, but he came and woke me up saying, "OK, I want to go to school today." And he meant it! He had no problem walking into Ms. Jones house with a smile on his face and no look of nervousness about him. That's not normal for him, especially since he'd never met Ms. Jones or been to her house before.
To my relief, he left her house the same way; all smiles! He also said he wanted to go to school everyday, and when I told him it was only 2 days a week, he was bummed.
P.S. I had more pictures, but when I was uploading them to my computer they disappeared and when I checked my memory card they were gone from there, too. I'm really bummed. =(

God's Work

This is what I accomplished yesterday - 24 sets of Financials (there are 4 missing from the stack because Property Managers took them for meetings). This was the work that was suppose to last me all day yesterday and today. If anyone doesn't know what Financials are, they are a monthly report of finances for each Community (as in HOAs) that I do Accounting for. I have to produce a set of Financials each month for each Community that includes the Balance Sheet, Check Distribution, Income/Expense Statement, Yearly Spreadsheet, and General Ledger. I'm not going to go into the boring details; my point is to say that they can be time consuming.
I was a little worried about this week as it is the beginning of the month which means our most busy time here in the Accounting Department. I was worried because I have 3 days to get all my work done before a week and 2 day vacation. I planned on doing the Financials on Monday and Tuesday and doing everything else on Wednesday (little things like depositing checks or cutting checks to vendors). So, anticipating a stressful and hectic week, I prayed Sunday night and Monday morning and asked God to please help me out. I was a little specific in asking Him to give me guidance and wisdom in my work, including helping me prioritize in the best way possible. I normally pray before beginning my work anyway, just asking Him to help me complete the work and have me catch mistakes early on, etc, but I've never really thought to pray in advance for the day's work ahead of me. I guess I know how I get before a trip (anxious, stressed, annoyed with work since it is in my way of getting ready for the trip, etc.) so I thought this time to go ahead and hand over my worries to God.
Apparently that was the best thing to do. I came to work and had nothing on my desk to take care of before starting Financials. I had no voicemails or emails (which is very strange for a Monday morning). All I had to do is sit down and begin Financials. On top of not having any voicemails or emails all day, I only had 2 phone calls. Again, that is very strange for a Monday at the first of the month.
Needless to say, I was not the least bit stressed or irritated with customers or co-workers and I was able to bust out my work and be done with it.
Now I wonder what will be in store for me today and tomorrow. I may have long boring days, but it will be better than being stressed and frantic! And I have a peace that everything will be completed and off of my desk when I leave for vacation. Ah, the sweet smell of answered prayers!