January 30th, 2006
Jared and I had a great weekend away from Greenville. We headed back to Emden on Friday night…just in time for some yummy homecooked food thanks to my mom. (Mom food is always worth the 2 hour drive!) We were home for more than food though…though it definitely was a highlight of our time home. We went to our cousin, Carrie’s, wedding reception on Saturday night. It was so much fun. I love getting to hang out with our family and I love weddings….so it was lots of fun. (It was also a great excuse to wear some fabulous new shoes.) We had a lot of time to hang out with family. I love living in Greenville…but I definitely hate being away from our family. We got to see all of our nieces and nephews…most of our brothers and sisters…our parents…and my grandma. We also got to eat Monical’s pizza on Sunday…which was amazing. (Greenville definitely needs to jump on the Monical’s bandwagon.) We got home late last night….and Max was uber excited. He was meowing when we got to the door and he was just about the snuggliest cat ever. He’s usually super hyper when we get home…so it was exciting to have him sitting on my lap…not in attack mode. Anyway…I don’t have much time to give more updates…so I’ll leave it at that. Adios!
January 25th, 2006
Wow…what a crazy day we had yesterday. Mom and dad stopped through Greenville to bring the washer and dryer. The plan was to unload them and get some lunch over our lunch hour. Mom and dad couldn’t stay long and we had to work. Anywho…so we start getting the dryer ready to take to the basement…and we realize that it’s not going to fit. We tried every angle possible. It was soon apparent what we needed to do….take out the stairs. So take out the stairs we did…and it was crazy! It worked though…and we managed to get the washer and dryer to their new homes in our basement. I had a meeting to get back to at work…so mom, dad and Jared stayed to nail the stairs back together. (They’re just fine now.) After my meeting I came back home to grab a quick lunch with my parents before they left town. It was a crazy afternoon! Last night I did my first load of laundry in my own house…it made me feel domestic. In other news…Max pooped in the shower…bad Max! Apparently his litter box door was jammed and he couldn’t get in there. Jared thinks he used the shower because he knew it would be easier to clean up….I’m not sure if Max is that smart. Good times with our kitty. Anyway…I need to get back to work. I have a lot to get done today…and we’ve got small group tonight. Which…I might add…I love! Our small group is amazing. We’ve met so many great Christian couples…and it’s such an inspiration. I really feel blessed that God has connected us with these people…and that we get to meet with them every week. It’s great to feel accepted and loved in a group like that….and I know it’s been great for us. Ok…seriously…I’m finishing up now. Adios!
January 23rd, 2006
It’s been a good weekend all in all. Though it’s been busy, Jared and I have still had a lot of time to just relax and hang out. Friday night we watched 2 movies and ordered pizza…I felt like I was in college again. It’s awesome to have a spouse that you can just hang out and be silly with. (I’m so lucky!) Saturday I stopped by campus to meet up with a few of my new spring semester students. That’s something that always puts a smile on my face. Seeing new students so excited about being here makes me remember how great I felt when I first moved in. The rest of the day I just bummed around and watched tv. (Jared had praise band practice.) When he got home we watched yet another movie. We were seriously lazy! I think everyone deserves a day like that once in awhile. After church today we headed over to Fairview Heights to a little bit of shopping. Old Navy was having some sales, so I took Jared to get some new work clothes….and a fun new pair of brown velvet pants for me. (They were too cute…I couldn’t leave them there!) We also bought our Christmas present today. (We both get each other something smaller….and then we pool our Christmas money to get something for the house.) This year we decided on a fancy surround sound system. (To go with last year’s big tv.) Jared got it all hooked up…and it’s awesome. It’s like a little theater in our old basement. We’ve been cleaning most of the night. We finally started to organize the basement….after having lived here for close to 2 months. I got my new laundry station set up and Jared got “tv land” hooked up to the new speakers. I had to move Max’s food zone to make room for the washer and dryer…hopefully he doesn’t get too mad. He’s been a little under the weather lately…so pray for my kitty! (Seriously…he’s like our kid or something!) Anyway…I need to sign off and get some sleep. Morning always seems to come way too soon. Adios!
January 20th, 2006
So after living in our new house for close to 2 months, we’re finally getting our washer and dryer set! Our landlords let us use theirs at the old apartment, so we’ve never needed our own. Which was great…until we moved into a house without them. We’ve been hauling laundry to my mom and dad’s house for the past month and we did laundry at Rick and Chrissy’s this past week. (In return for some babysitting…which we love!) Anyway…the time is finally here. We’re getting our washer and dryer this week! (YAY!!!) It’s a used set from a friend of my mom’s. She and her husband moved and didn’t need their old set anymore…in steps us. Mom let her know our situation and asked if we could buy them. Well she one-upped us and just gave them to Jared and I. I can’t wait to do laundry in my own home again. I’m also excited to set up my own laundry center…just the way I want it. (With a table for folding clothes…woo-hoo!) We have some cleaning to do in the basement to prepare…but it’s totally worth it. In other news, Jared and I got Max a present last night…well sort of. Max loves water and he actually loves taking a bath in the sink. (Which is great…because he’s had a problem of stepping in his poo lately…yeah…gross…I know.) So anyway…we bought Max shampoo…he smells like flowers now! So maybe it was more of a present for Jared and I. Either way…I’ve not smelled a sweeter smelling cat before! Anyway…I need to wrap this up. I’ve got cookies baking and I need to get them out before they burn. Adios!
January 15th, 2006
So my mom told me about this great little antique shop in a town about 10 minutes outside of Greenville. (She and dad like to stop there on the way to visit us.) So this morning I decided to go check it out. I love antiques! Well, not all of them…but a good chunk of them. I love learning the history behind the items I buy and I love the search. I’m definitely into the whole shabby chic decorating scheme (and antiques are great for it). I found lots great buys today, but I had to hold myself back. I ended up leaving with 4 garlands for our dining room, a book for my dad and a few candle holders. Antiques are seriously great though. If you’ve never been to an antique shop…I urge you to go! You never know what you might find!
January 10th, 2006
So Jared and I had a great weekend (and sadly, I’m just now getting the time to update about it). My mom called Friday afternoon to see if we’d be around this weekend. I let her know we would be, and they came up that night. We went out ot eat at Breities (good 50’s style diner food) and then we went to see Dick and Jane (which was cute…wouldn’t go on my own…but was fun to see with them). Saturday morning we got up and moved a few things around in the house. Mom and dad had brought our new Christmas furniture and we had to make room for it. They also brought my rocker from my room back home. (It was moms when she was younger…and she re-did it for me.) We decided to head to St. Louis for the afternoon. We went to Delmar and ate at Fitz’s (great rootbeer and burgers). We shopped for a bit and walked around the area, which was great. It was a fun day away and I think my parents enjoyed visiting a new place. They stayed for awhile once we got home and then I started cleaning once they left. I managed to take down all of the Christmas decorations (except for the greens on the porch). Putting Christmas decorations up is WAY better than taking them down. The house is still a mess…but I’m working on it! I’m hoping we have more visitors now that we’ve got a house, but it’s taking me awhile to make it “visitor-ready”. Anyway, I’m going to wrap this up for now. Adios!
January 6th, 2006
Wow, this week has been crazy! Coming back to work after the holidays is always crazy…but this is seriously nuts! I haven’t had lunch breaks a good chunk of the week, my phone never stops ringing, and random people keep stopping by my office. I work well under pressure and I adapt easily, but wow, I’m sure ready for the weekend! When the clock hits 4:30…I’m out of here! (Hopefully.)
We had such a great break for Christmas, it was just really hard to come back to work. We had spend New Years with the Dugan’s down in Louisville, KY. It was so much fun to see them and hang out somewhere other than Greenville. It was a hefty trip, and we were tired when we go home, but it was totally worth it.
I have lots of cleaning to do over the weekend. The house quickly turned from clean to messy with all of the hustle and bustle of the last few weeks. Needless to say, I can avoid cleaning no more! I need to take all of the Christmas decorations down as well. I love Christmas, so I really hate taking all of my Christmas stuff down. It’s so pretty…why can’t I leave it up all year long? Anyway, I’ll finish this up. I have a campus visit coming in a few minutes, so I need to get ready for that. Adios!