Day in Chicago

So today we spent the afternoon in Chicago. Tomorrow is Evan's birthday and his girlfriend decided to surprise him with a trip to Chicago. We made arrangements to meet them in Chi-town and then take them out to eat (all a surprise to Evan). We went to town early and hung out at the Children's museum. Here are a few pics from our outing.

Ramblings...

I love facebook! I have been on it for a year or so but haven't really done much with it. The last couple of months I have been on it several times a day. Slightly addicted actually. I have been connecting with so many people. Many of them from my high school days. Many are just my friends and church family back home that I don't get to see anymore. There are even a few from our adoption group that I haven't seen in almost three years. It is great.

I keep saying it but I really mean it. I want Spring to come. I like having a white Christmas. But other than that one week of Christmas, I would be fine with temps above 50 the rest of the winter. I guess the writing is on the wall....once retirement age hits I will be a snowbird and fly south for the winter.

We are all adjusting to our move. Morgan has had the hardest time, but sheis actually coming around even faster than I thought. Thirteen is such a tough age to deal with change. Especially when you have to leave everything/everyone you love behind. She is making friends at her new school. She even had a friend come and spend the night last night. She is getting there. It isn't home yet, but I think her major fear of not fitting in is past.

I am enjoying being unemployed more than I thought. I don't know how much longer that will last though. I have inquired about bus driving here, but the pay is about $6.50 less an hour. That is hard to take. Doing the same work (maybe even tougher work because of the area) and making that much less....I don't know it just doesn't excite me much.

What I have been doing some checking into is going back to school. Nothing fancy or too long of a commitment. I am looking at becoming an MA (Medical Assistant). Less schooling than a nurse but about the same type of work. I would be most interested in working in a doctors office or a clinic. Don't really want hospital hours. The main thing I have to get worked out is finding child care for Olivia. Part of the problem is that she is suppose to start Kindergarten next fall so I need to decide if I put her into a daycare with a Kindergarten program or find out if there is a daycare that she can go to after school. I wish they had all day Kindergarten like back home. That would make it easier.

We are really settling in to our new church. Each week we feel a little less like strangers. Tomorrow we are having a Super Bowl party at the Pastor's house. We are in a small group with him and his wife. We normally have the Super Bowl party, but since we are in this dinky apartment right now it will be a while before we are hosting any parties.

Well, I better sign off...I feel like I have been on the computer all day. :)

I wil leave you with one of my favorite pics...

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart

Today Mike and I have been married for 23 years!!! I can't believe how fast the last 23 years have gone by. I can't believe how young we were too!!! Just kids!

Winter Wonderland

UGH! It just keeps snowing and is cold. I am ready for Spring. The temps are a little better here, but we got a few more inches of snow today. Being here at the apartment has made winter seem harder this year. #1 I am missing my woodburners. I don't miss lugging in the wood and getting up at night to add more wood, but I do miss the bone warming heat. The "It is so cozy in here" feeling that you don't even care that it is 15 below outside. #2 I am really missing my garage. Having to go out every morning to either chip ice off of my car or scrape off the snow is a real pain. At first I didn't even want to start it to warm it since it is in a parking lot and once it is started, I can't lock it. Well, after the first week of freezing temps I didn't give a flying rip if someone took my car. It needed to be preheated.

Last Thursday was Morgan's last day of the Semester at her old school. Today was suppose to be the first day at her new school. Even though there was no school on Friday for the middle school the high school had a snow day because of dangerous temps. That messed up the middle school schedule so their semester doesn't end now until tomorrow. UGH! They could have told us that before we got up at 6 AM today and got to the school by 7! So, we went back today after lunch (they only have half days today and tomorrow) and Morgan got her schedule, locker assignment and got to walk around the school. She doesn't have to start until Thursday now.

This is really dragging things out. I am getting really frustrated with all her moodiness. I do feel bad for her. I know she is nervous to start a new school and sad to leave the old, but her ups and downs are leading me to insanity.

Here is a picture of my little guy Chester just cause he is cute. ;)

Morgan's Music Video

Morgan had to make a music video for her music class. She picked on of her favorite songs and put pictures to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZUmiJv8Bew

China, baby!

My friend Rebecca & her hubby Andy are in China right now getting her little boy. Little Owen is such a cutie. You can see him on their blog. http://www.ourfamilyjournal.com/

Olivia's dance and tumble

*Sorry for the blurry pics. I have a crappy camera and my zoom doesn't really work.

Christmas at Evan's Apartment

What a crazy 10 days!

Last Sunday (the 21st) we woke up to no electricity. That wouldn't be a real big deal but we had the night before picked up two bearded dragons (lizards) for Evan for Christmas. These particular lizards need 100 degree heat lamps on them. Since we didn't know how long we would be without electricity we decided to pack up a day early and head back to Middlebury. We were staying with my brother and his family. They don't have Internet so I was going through some major withdrawal.

We had Christmas with Mike's family on Monday night and Morgan still had school on Tuesday. We basically just hung around Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday night we spent the night at Evan's apartment. We got up Christmas morning and had a wonderful Christmas with all the kids. I made lunch for us and we spent most of the afternoon just hanging out. THat evening it was back to my brother's for Christmas with my dad and his new wife, my mom and step dad and my brother and his family. That night we went to my dad's to spend the night because my mom was staying with my brother. Friday we got iced in most of the day. We finally made it back to my brother's to spend more time with mom. Saturday we just hung around and that evening we got to Evan came over with his girlfriend and we got to meet her for the first time. We enjoyed the evening with all our kids.

The next morning dark and early Mike took Morgan and I to church to board a bus. The two of us were on our way to Grand Rapids Michigan for a three day youth conference (I was one of the chaperones). It was a great and very tiring three days. When Mike picked us up this afternoon at church we made a beeline for home. I am so tired of living out of suitcases. I am tired of sleeping in different beds. I am tired of not being able to cook in my own kitchen. It is so nice to be home.

I hope to be posting some pictures in the next couple of days. My camera is dead so I will get to it soon.

Tomorrow Katie is coming along with one of her college friends and Sunny her boyfriend. They are spending the night in OUR apartment and then on New Year's Day taking the train to Chicago for the day. MORE CRAZINESS! :)

Olivia's new best friend....

Olivia has a new best friend here in our new town. We had her over

for a play date the other day.

Happy Birthday Mike!

Morgan made daddy's cake for him.

Thanksgiving Happiness

Thanksgiving was really nice this year. We got to see Michael's family for dinner. Then headed to my brother's to visit with them and my mom and stepdad who were here from Iowa. Then we went to my dad's to spend the night so we got to see him and my stepmom. Evan came over when he got off of work to visit with us too. The following day (after I braved the 4:00am rush of shoppers-yes I am one of those idiots that goes out uber early) we headed back here to Crown Point. My mom and stepdad followed and we got to show them around and take them out for supper. The next day Katie and Sunny came over to see the apartment for the first time. We put up the tree and other decorations. Then we went shopping-yeah baby! We went out to eat to celebrate Mike's birthday and then after homemade cake Katie and Sunny headed home and took Morgan with them so I wouldn't have to drive her back today. Today was just a slow relaxing day. I wrapped some presents, cleaned and pretty much chilled out. Mike has been sick for the last week so I told him he wasn't allowed to do anything but lay around and watch westerns and try to recouperate.

All in all it was a pretty nice weekend. It was hard not having Katie home with us (she wanted to stay in Middlebury cause that is where Sunny is). Evan worked most of the weekend but we got to spend a couple hours with him. Being out of the area for the first holiday was a little strange. Mike was really sad last night when the girls left. Things just seemed empty. He said "I am going to bed to sulk." We got to see pretty much all of our family though so that was nice.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.

Apartment Living Part III - Movin storage

We have a 10 X 20 storage unit that is full. (This picture doesn't show how far back all the stuff goes). We have decided to move everything to a storage unit at our apartment complex. It is the same size, $20/mo cheaper and if I need anything all I have to do is walk across the parking lot instead of driving 8 miles. As of today we have moved 8 loads and are not even half way. This is gonna be a long weekend.

Apartment Living Part 2

Well a couple nights ago while watching TV we hear some sirens and see the flash of lights out our window. I run out the door to see what is going on. There is an ambulance and an emergency vehicle. Then a firetruck comes down the highway. Wait a minute. They are all stopping in our parking lot. Wait another minute they are running to the second entrance to our building! Uh oh- here comes the ladder truck next. Well, I was freezing so I ran in to get a blanket. It must not have been too serious because they never evacuated our building. When I came back out a few minutes later one of the firemen rolled a fan on wheels out of the building. I am assuming someone had a cooking mishap and caught something on fire. (At least it wasn't the schmucks...you know....the idiots who let their horn blow for 40 minutes at 4:00 am.)

Apartment Living Part 1

So the other morning about 3:45 or so I wake up to a very annoying sound. It is a car horn. Long, continious and irritating. I roll over and ask Mike "What in the heck is that?" He says it is someone's car alarm going off. We lay there for 35 minutes listening to this. At one point I ask him if it is one of his trucks. He says "No, I don't have an alarm on either one of them." By now we are getting very irritated. I cannot believe the schmuck that owns this car is not turning it off. Finally we get up (cause Mike had to get up in 20 minutes anyway and we weren't getting any sleep). It is really bugging me that this horn is still blaring. I suggest that he go out and check things out. He agrees to appease me.......he is gone for 5 minutes or so. The blaring stops. He comes back in and says sheepishly...."It was my truck." UGH! When he got out there, there was a cop standing by his truck and he asks him if it is his. They pop the hood and find the fuse to stop the horn. They both get a chuckle out of it. Mike tells the cop "My wife was in there complaining about the schmuck that wouldn't turn his alarm off-and she even wondered if it was our truck." The cop laughs at him and says "At least you didn't call it in...and then find out it was yours."

I am suprised there wasn't a lynch mob in the parking lot waiting for him. We haven't even seen any damage done to the truck. Go figure.

Settled!

Well we are all moved into our little apartment. We were unpacked the same night we moved in. HAHA! That is just the way I am. I kept thinking I have all week to unpack but I just kept emptying one box after another. Mike worked on our bedroom and closet. My big job was the kitchen. The apartment really isn't too bad. Better than living in a camper for sure. Two big adjustments I had to make was drawer space in the kitchen. I went from 10 drawers in my "house" kitchen to 2 drawers in my apartment kitchen. WHAT??? Only two drawers??? Heck I had 4 junk drawers at the house. Where was I going to put everything? The bathroom was another issue. My bathroom at the house had 4 drawers and a linen cabinet. Here I have no drawers. Just the vanity. Yesterday I had to go buy one of those cabinet things that sit over the toilet. I think that will help alot.

Today I think Olivia and I are going to venture out to the library. See if we can get signed up. I am hoping they have some kids computers there so we can kill some time there and maybe get a few books and computer games.

We are also trying to find a day/twin bed with a trundle under it for the girls room.

Morgan is doing good at home with Adam and Esther. I miss her a bunch though. I can't wait to see her on Friday when I go get her. We are going to celebrate her birthday this weekend and shop for the trundle bed.

Well, time for a shower! Bye for now.

Twas the night before moving....

and I am a glutton for punishment.

Morgan's birthday is next weekend. So, I decide we should have her birthday party this weekend...the last weekend at our home. I say "Have as many friends as you want. Make it a great bash!" DUMMY!!!

We have 9 teeny boppers running around. DANG are they loud! We played Truth or Dare balloon style. We ate pizza, we ate puppy chow, we ate cake, we ate oreos and popcorn and went through five 2 liter bottles of pop! Talk about a sugar high. Plus in the middle of this I am trying to do last minute packing and washing of clothes and bedding. I have to get up in the morning and make french toast for all the girls and get them packed up to leave before the trailer comes at 11:00 to start loading our stuff.

I am really glad to give this party for Morgan but now I need a sleeping pill and my earplugs.

My house is a MESS!