Twister Season

Surprise surprise.... more tornadoes last night. When does it end? 170+ is the death toll from just yesterday and last night and it's continuing to rise. Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina were all slammed. I went to sleep again because it didn't look like it was going to hit us. I have never heard the weather people pleading with people as much as they did last night. "Please, if you are hearing the sound of our voices.... please get to safety NOW!" They'd list off specific cities or counties and say "You have 6 minutes to get to cover. Get your food, get your clothes, and get your family to safety. If you're in a mobile home, get out and get somewhere safe." It's incredible how so many people woke up yesterday never thinking that they'd lose their life from a tornado. Very sobering. You never know when your day is.

On a lighter note, I was pretty much asleep last night while Jack stayed up to watch the weather. I guess it was in my dream cause my eyes sure weren't open, but I saw a massive spider coming down from the ceiling very near my face. I don't know how it happened but suddenly I was standing up next our bed with my heart pounding as I was looking for the spider. Jack came running in very concerned. I must've yelled or something. Once he heard what happened, he looked around casually for the spider and didn't find anything. He got a good laugh and told me that it was a taste of my own medicine. He also admitted to contemplating going in to the bedroom and hitting me with a pillow while I was sleeping. But I apparently bolted out of bed on my own without any help from a pillow. Man that spider looked real. And it was huge. And ugly. There are 3 places spiders should never be, in my opinion. 1) the shower 2) the toilet 3) your bed - these are the places you are most vulnerable. Any spiders invading those 3 spaces will meet a definite end. I also prefer to keep spiders out of closets, cars, and kitchen, but realistically that never seems to happen.

Never a dull moment here.

Jehovah-jireh (God provides)

I was talking to a friend of mine recently who has a pretty incredible story of God providing. Here's a summary of how her life was a month ago.

Her parents are getting a divorce. Her dad couldn't pay all the alimony so he had to go to jail for a month. She was stuck in a dead end job with really poor pay and she was barely making ends meet especially with school loans and such. Her boyfriend who is not a Christian was in the same situation. Finally her circumstances had gotten her to the lowest of low. She had reached the absolute last scrap of faith that she had. She knew God provided but she really wasn't seeing that happen in her life. She was getting run over at work and barely getting paid for all she did. She was at the end of her rope with no where to go.

I talked to her when she was there. I really could relate. I was just there. It is a downward spiraling journey of doubt, discouragement, and questioning. Hope is gone. Faith is almost completely exhausted. Trust is nigh extinct in your heart and mind. You can barely muster up one more positive thing to say about your situation. It's a hard hard place to be.

Then, out of nowhere she went into a bank to open a checking account. It is a national chain so she'd have widespread access to her money wherever she went. While she was there, she got to talking to a personal banker. By the end of the conversation, she was talking to the branch manager whom the personal banker had brought over. And they were discussing how she might fit in to the bank! The personal banker had recommended she apply! So that night my friend went home filled out an application for an opening in the bank in a nearby town. She hung on to the application for a few weeks not really sure if she wanted to continue pursuing banking. She finally turned it in and that evening she got a call from HR! They scheduled a phone interview. The HR caller loved her so she set up a meeting with a branch manager. The branch manager loved her! So the District manager interviewed her and loved her. By the time all this came to pass, the position she had applied for was filled. However, the bank loved her and agreed they couldn't let her go. Unbelievably, as all this was happening, the personal banker "randomly" retired opening up a position for my friend in the very town she lives in. No more long commute. An unbelievable salary with tons of potential for growth and now... finally... job satisfaction!!!!!!!!! She wasn't even looking for a job at this bank and God just opened the opportunity right up. Incredibly enough, God provided in the same way for her boyfriend at the same time. They had just been discussing Jehovah-jireh (God provides.) And with their tiny amount of faith, God has given them unbelievable opportunities. The divorce is over. Loans can be paid off  and finally life can be lived with a cushion. I am so excited for them. To the average onlooker, she got really lucky. But to us, we know that God is indeed Jehovah-jireh.

More Cops

Wow is it seriously Wednesday already? What a dramatic and crazy week!

So Monday after all the break-in stuff I went to bed at my usual time. Jack stayed up to watch his favorite Hawaii 5-0 show. I was dozing off and suddenly Blade barks sharply and I hear the tv go off. I pull my head up and look at the clock. His show still has 20 minutes! I heard a loud thud followed by Blade whining. I wasn't sure if I should be scared or not. Did someone walk in our apartment? I was kinda clueless as to what went on. I dozed off again falling into blissful sleep when Jack walked in our bedroom and turned on the light. "Are you awake?"

I groaned trying to discourage any conversation because I was almost asleep. It didn't work.

"Did you hear all that?" he asked.

"Hear what?" I was awake now.

"All the yelling and screaming downstairs. The people in the apartment down and across from us were outside yelling loudly. So I went out and looked down to see if everyone was okay. The guy was screaming something about 'you're not my brother. Keep your dirty hands off my kid.' Yelling about how much he hates him and all that. The neighbor lady across from us came out and called the cops just in case something was happening. I prepared a statement if the cops come to us. I got a description of the man leaving and his car and his license plate number just in case."

I was impressed. I had rested peacefully through the whole thing! Go me! Actually I'll attribute that to decent walls. Anyway, I missed the whole thing. I don't know if the cops showed up or not but Jack did not sleep well. He is the protector in our household. Kudos to him for being a good neighbor.

Speaking of protector, keep this between us, but last night after we went to bed... I was talking to Jack and he fell asleep while I was talking to him! I talked louder and he didn't awaken. So I warned him that I was going to hit him with my pillow. And I did. Ahhh... I am laughing hardily as I write this. He grunted, processed what just happened, and bolted into a sitting position looking around frantically and asking "What's wrong? What happened?" (Sidenote: I don't think I've ever seen him move so quickly.) I explained to him that he had fallen asleep and I wasn't done talking. He was extremely disgruntled. He said, "Babe. Don't ever wake me up like that again. When I get hit in my sleep, I wake up looking for someone to punch in the face! I thought we were in danger!" 

So I mentioned that it was a good thing I wasn't standing over him while hitting him with the pillow otherwise he would've absolutely decked me. Once he settled down, he said "Wow, it's amazing how clear your vision is at night when you have so much adrenaline pumping through you! You don't need glasses or contacts!"
In hindsight, I don't think he thought it was as funny as I thought it was.

Little Rascal

Blade has been a little rascal today. I got home, took him for a walk, came in and took off my shoes, and set to making dinner. I found some of Jack's Cadbury creme egg wrappers on the ground and the cardboard box chewed. I dismissed it and chalked it up to Jack leaving trash around and Blade chewing the cardboard trash. After about 10 minutes, Blade was making strange noises. I walked over to find him standing over one of my shoes he had been chewing!!!!! Ohhhh buddy did he get in trouble! He had to sit in his corner for a good long while. You don't chew on my shoes... AGAIN! 

Jack came home about 20 minutes later and right away began looking for his Cadbury creme eggs. He couldn't find the box anywhere. There were 2 left in the box that he had left sitting on his desk!  I told him sadly that the wrappers were on the floor when I got home.. Blade probably had eaten his last 2 Cadbury's Easter eggs. Jack totally did not believe me. He said "Well where's the box?!?" I pulled the chewed up remnants from the trash and then he believed me. Blade jumped up on the chair pulled down the box of chocolate, devoured them, and then ate the cardboard. Our dog ate 2 chocolate easter eggs and foil and cardboard. He had quite the day. No wonder he's been hyper. At least he's not dead or sick!!! That's a bonus! We'll see how he feels tomorrow.

Easter Weekend!

So I thought I'd catch up here on Friday which was a day off for me. But I didn't. I ended up doing tons of stuff around the house like baking, cleaning, laundry, couponing, etc. Friday I got an awesome motorcycle jacket! Finally! An armored jacket of my own for a really good price. It is an exclusive European edition of the jacket. I'll be one of a kind and now very safe.

Because I got my new jacket, we decided to take the bike to Good Friday service. Plus we saved on gas. So away we went and got there in good time. The service lasted from 7:30 - past 11 pm. It was amazing. There were a whole handful who got saved. We were on our way home because of the hour and....... it was raining. Or misting. And we were on the bike in our jackets getting wet. I was pretty temped to complain but then I thought "this is the stuff that adventures are made of." What a time!

Saturday we bummed around most of the day, ran a whole bunch of errands (including picking up more birdseed for the feeder), getting free Chick-fil-A, and hanging out at the park. We ended up spending the evening watching The Green Mile on tv. It was really nice to watch a movie and relax but man, was that movie sad!!!! But you know, it's good to think on the brevity of life. Plus it was a fitting movie for Easter weekend since one of the men that gets executed is innocent.

Today we got up early and went to church on the bike. We got up front parking cause of the bike and then we got to spend the afternoon with a lovely family with 2 babies and a loud beagle. Easter was a lot like the way my family does it. It was a great weekend!

Cinco de Mayo

"Sin-so dee May-oh" Jack slowly stumbled over the words. "What the heck is that? And why is it celebrated in the US?"

So I said laughing out loud at his pronunciation, "Ohh.. you mean Sink-o day Mai-o. It's a Mexican holiday of some sorts." 

Here's what Wikipedia says: "Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a holiday held on May 5 that commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.^[2][3] It is celebrated primarily in the state of Puebla and in the United States.^[4][5][6][7] While Cinco de Mayo sees limited significance in Mexico itself, the date is observed nationwide mostly in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.^[8] "Cinco de Mayo is not a Mexican holiday—it is an American Civil War holiday, created spontaneously by Mexicans and Latinos living in California who supported the fragile cause of defending freedom and democracy during the first years of that bloody war between the states."^[9] Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day,^[10] the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico."

Hilarious! I <3 my foreigner.

Corporate Bullying

I have been thinking for the past 2 days about how ridiculous some big corporation people sound when they talk to small company workers. I'm not trying to say that huge corporations are big, bad, evil monsters. No indeed. Most of them are well-oiled, competition-devouring, success-achieving machines which is admirable in some ways. But in other ways, not so much. (Disclaimer: none of the mentioned company names are known culprits of most of the following monologue, although I'm sure the IT and cubicle comments probably resonate with a few of their employees.)

If you start your career in an empire like Michelin or Sears Corporation or P &G, you start really low on the totem pole. You're lucky to have a cubicle space to call your own and especially blessed if IT gets your desktop and login set up within the first two weeks of your arrival (even if you were hired solely on the basis that you would work on the computer to do some task.) You spend hour after long hour barely glimpsing the sun from your gray prison for years on end.You work your hindquarters off to accomplish great things, to get yourself seated on a certain prestigious floor, to claim a larger cubicle or perhaps even an office with windows. Then when you eventually get into that Senior Manager role, you have invariably been branded with this superior attitude of "everyone is subject to my whim- old or new." Sure, you as a Sr. Manager want to maintain good relations with vendors or clients, but you sure aren't bending over backwards for anyone. Your days of slavery have ended and you've arrived. In fact, if anyone is bending over backwards, it will be the small company vendor or client with whom you work on a frequent basis. After all, you happen to know that you are one of their largest clients! You assure yourself that losing your account would be incredibly detrimental to their existence! My co-worker aptly called it "corporational bullying." Some of these people have it in their mind that the small company will need to do whatever is asked of them without charging them extra. The small company will travel to the big corporation's headquarters to meet in a conference room reserved for only 30 minutes. The small company will add 50 more people to an already 750+ person report and the turnaround time needs to be within the hour. The small company will receive criticism for a small mistake. The small company will start functioning and asking the questions for every client as the large corporation has dictated. And the small company certainly will be performing some type of exotic dental surgery to receive payment on merely the past due invoices that the small company has struggled to get said large corporation to pay for several years. Any other company would have probably tacked on accrued interest or sent the past due invoices in a large colorfully marked box to a collection agency by then.

The point is.... if you must work for a large corporation in order to be successful, then do. But when you reach your pinnacle of success position, please neglect to carry yourself with the nausea-inducing, eyeroll- inspiring superiority chip on the shoulder especially toward your colleagues, peers, and other business professionals who are indeed your equals regardless of your humble opinion of them. You want to stop bullying? It doesn't start in the schools with children. It's starts with professional adults finally treating others like equals.

Men Ironing?

Check out this article...

http://www.gadling.com/2010/03/22/ten-best-extreme-ironing-stunts-from-around-the-world/

Decorating Ideas

I've been doing a lot of thinking about decorating recently as I'm sure you know. I stumbled across these 2 ideas and thought they were pretty awesome.

As far as clocks, I think I'd do a US, a UK, and an Africa time zone one. How cool would that be? That way we can think of our friends and family and pray for them wherever they are!

Musings in Questions

Borrowed Musings of the Mind:

If you could paint a house any color, which color would you choose? If one neighbor is a cream and the other is a dark brown, would you paint your house a greenish blue color? What color would you paint your deck? Red? Or would you paint it the color of your house? Or would you paint it a darker color to compliment?

If you had a kitchen that had very little space, would you buy a house in hopes to remedy the situation? Or would you leave it and buy something that had more space already? What if you could have over a 1/2 acre of yard to work with? Would you plant grass? Would you plant trees and bushes in hopes of growing your own forest? Would you clear out the land if the forest was already there? Would you grow your own food garden and trade time and energy for money at the grocery store? Or would flowers take precedence? Would you build a bomb shelter/ cellar to store your food? Would you build a tunnel from under your home to that cellar underground and prepare to help someone escape someday even if it's only escaping to their imagination from reality?

If you had a petty question and an important question on your mind, which one would you answer first? Would you answer the petty question quickly and mull over the important one? Or would you give them equal consideration?

If you had the perfect body, what would you wear on it? How much time would you spend dressing it? If you had the exact right amount of money, what would you spend it on?

If you created something beautiful and it became ugly and unusable to you, would you fix it? Would you sell it?

If you had a choice of where you could live for forever, where would you live? Iceland? The US? Switzerland? China?

Aren't you glad you don't have to worry all of these questions at the same time?

Receiving the Whole Bible for the First Time

I know I share a lot of videos with you all, but they're usually for a good reason. Check out this video my boss's wife sent me! The Word of God came to this language, culture, village on March 16, 2010 for the first time. How awesome is that!!! A day they will never forget.

Blade's Expression

Blade had a follow up vet visit this evening. He was understandably unsettled about the whole thing. When we finally saw a nurse, she examined him including checking his nails for needing to be clipped. And they did, of course. She also checked his anal glands for a fullness that could indicate infection. If the anal glands are full and pasty, the vet "expresses" those glands in order to decrease risk of infection So we asked the vet if the glands needed to be "expressed." The vet happily informed us that the glands needed no expressing. We were glad for that.

The nurse disappeared to the back of the office to clip Blade's nails with some help from another person to hold Blade down. Blade hates getting his nails clipped. HATES. We warned the nurse yet again about the struggle that would soon ensue over nail clippings. After a few minutes, Blade came back with his nails clipped and he smelled absolutely rank. The vet followed soon after and we quickly queried as to why Blade smelled so awful. She said that he got so stressed out that he.....uh..... "expressed" himself (meaning that he dispelled that liquid from his anal glands without any help.) She did say it with a hint of humor despite the fact that he stunk up the entire office. They tried to clean him off but he needed a more thorough cleaning. He even made our car smell for an entire 15+ minutes even with the windows open. And it was pouring rain. We laughed about it. It is funny, but he got a bath as soon as he walked in the door.

So we found a song that is now Blade's theme song.



The words fit him!

"Express yourself! Express yourself! You don't never need help from nobody else! All you got to do now is express yourself!"

A Brief Couponing Fist Pump

I am really excited to share about my brief coupon success tonight. I was able to get 2 boxes of tissues and a carton of eggs for free. 2 bags of chips for $0.44 each which usually is $3.99 each and 2 bags of cheese for $0.67 each which are usually $2.99 each. I'm feeling successful tonight knowing that I did well. Hurray! It's probably completely inconsequential. However, I impressed my mom by getting the chips and tea for under $2 total! Success is when you save more than you spend!

Japanese Commercial

Government Paperwork

Compliments of my MIL. If you've ever had to deal with government paperwork... this video is for you


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXWZ3uAEKsw&feature=player_embedded

Biker Chic

With gas prices rising and summer coming, I'm thinking it's time to start being more economic. Jack and I discussed this yesterday. This past week we've seen literally hundreds and hundreds of bikers around. A bike can be filled up for <$20 and that will last for 2 weeks! I'm filling up our car every week for double that! So here are my style choices. What's your vote?

Option 1: Sporty speed bike

Option 2: Off road/ adventure bike

 

Option 3: Big time cruiser bike

To the Point of Tears

This may be one of those "you had to be there" stories. Or maybe you just have to be me and in the mood I was in.

I sent a picture of a house that's for sale in the area to Jack yesterday in an email. I thought that perhaps we should visit the house. Good price range. Good location. Nice looking inside of the home. Just a funky shape on the outside with an ugly color. But it has potential. Anyway, I sent it to him as the last of 3 homes that were possibilities. He shot down the first 2 as too far away and a short sale. For the final house, he wrote back, " I think the [house] is one of the ugliest house's I've seen in my life..."

I laughed out loud for literally 5 minutes. I have not laughed so hard and so long in quite a while! I laughed so hard I started crying. I was wiping my red eyes and face and continuing laughing when a coworker stepped into my office and froze. He stared at me with big eyes and said, "Do you need a hug?" Apparently he thought I was crying cause I was upset. Then I tried explaining to him that I sent a picture of a potential house to my husband and he had written back that it was the ugliest he'd ever seen in his life. However, I collapsed into yet another fit of laughter, gasping for air. So the coworker muttered something about how awkward it would've been if I were actually crying and excused himself from my office. Ahhh.

Later, Jack said that he'd regret pulling into the driveway of the house every day. And that we'd have to blindfold any friends til they got inside cause he'd be too embarrassed for them to see the outer design. Oh and... if someone fell on our house they would be mauled by the pointy tips of the roofing. Clearly he was grasping for straws because anyone who "fell on our roof" from out of the sky would most likely be in danger of death anyway. I really thought it'd look a lot better with new siding and new paint. But Jack is convinced that he would rue the day we purchased the house, if we did so.

Laughter is good for the soul.

Are You Better Than Your Spouse?

If you're a wife... you're almost guaranteed not to be better according to George Crane's Marital Rating Scale from the 1930s. Trust me. I scored perfectly on the merit side and had only 1 demerit (for sticking my cold feet on my husband) and I still was "poor." Try your hand at the scale to see whose better. Here's the chart.

And now the husband:

Tornado Alley

What is up with the weather in the South? It's on and off and on and off. There have been more tornado warnings in this spring than I think I ever experienced up north in even 2 years. As I was expressing my amazement at how we are having yet another tornado warning in our area, Jack stated matter-of-factly "Well we are on the edge of the tornado alley!" I laughed for like 2 minutes straight. Then I asked, "Do you even know where tornado alley is?" He looked away sheepishly and said "No, not really but it sounded smart."  Aaaahhh hahahaha. I love being married to a foreigner.

Here's where the alley is:

Indeed, we are no where close to tornado alley and a decent ways from the edge of it. It just makes it that much funnier. Yay for spring time when the weather can't make up its mind. I am thankful however for warm weather.

Cool Websites

I just got my May edition of Real Simple. Out of 300 pages of the magazine, I found some cool websites to mention that they mentioned. (pg 66)

1) Spoonflower.com - you can design your own fabric for curtains, pillow, etc. Awesome eh?
2) Yardsaletreasuremap.com - You just type in your ZIP code and it searches through Craigslist for yard sales and allows you to map out the route.
3) Laqaandco.com - There's a nail polish pen for $15. That way you can carry your polish in your purse with you for touch ups! Pretty cool idea!

Enjoy!

Good News!

We're celebrating the good news of Jack's work authorization and such going through before the potential government shutdown! He's officially allowed to stay in the country indefinitely! HURRAY! You know... it took longer than illegal immigration but it wasn't horribly painful. It is feasible! At least a lot more feasible than we initially thought. So thank you, government, for letting my husband immigrate legally.

We're also glad the government didn't shutdown so that our many friends in the military get paid in the States and overseas. And so that we get money back from taxes (so selfish, I know! but who couldn't use money back?)

We have so much to be thankful for! A lot to work on to... but we truly are a privileged people.

Found: The Perfect House

I debated blogging about this because I still have mixed feelings about it. And by mixed feelings I mean I still love the house but I know we aren't going for it and that part is settled in my mind. But we went house searching last night. One we went to need tons of work. We weren't overly sold on it. We went to another I had wanted to see. Honestly... it's the most amazing house for the price that we've found. Pretty great condition. 3 floors. Great siding. Backyard that needed some work. Good master bath and closet. Awesome kitchen size. We basically could buy a house the size of my parents for waaay less. Jack's reserve? Too much space. I mean... we could house in-laws and family easily with room to spare. But Jack's holding point was that the heating/ cooling would cost way too much. I see his point and agree but I still love the house. The house sold for $210 K last year. We could grow in to a house that size with no problem as long as we stayed in the house for the rest of our lives and lived out having children, family, and grandchildren.

Anyway, we didn't go for the house. But Jack and I have found a lot of things that we don't like and do like. We know what we're willing to compromise on. And I think the "game" of finding the right house is getting easier. Eventually something will come up...

Late Night

I place all the blame on Jack for last night's late night. Although... doing whatever you want is part of the fun (and responsibility) of being an adult and being married. Last night at about 9:30 pm, I went in to the kitchen to finish cleaning up before going to bed. I turned around and Jack was blocking my exit of the kitchen. He said "You're not allowed out of this kitchen until you make that cake you made the other week." He's been asking for this cake for 2+ weeks now. I made the cake for a party of more than 10 people. I usually fend him off by saying that we don't NEED the cake and we certainly don't need to get fat. He begged though. He begged relentlessly for 5 minutes. Let me tell you.... 5 minutes of Jack's pleading is a harrowing 5 minutes. It involves huge puppy-dog eyes, big bear hugs simulating boa constrictor killing methods, loud talking, and other torture methods all compiled to collapse my will. And it worked. I caved in. I was pulling out the ingredients and noted triumphantly that we were lacking the correct amount of margarine, cocoa, and powdered sugar! I was thinking I scored a victory and I could retreat to bed. Nope. Jack practically bolted for his shoes reciting the list out loud to me as he vanished through the doorway. My hope is that he is that willing to get me food late at night when I'm pregnant. Hehe. Anyway, Jack was very successful at the store with a little help from knowledgeable unassuming ladies in the baking aisle who were helping him realize the difference between hot cocoa and baking cocoa. Near disaster averted! I finished the cake in under an hour and finally collapsed into bed. I did have to laugh when I was making the frosting because there were visibly large and unappealing chunks of margarine floating around. Jack's face was equally as humorous as he stared with a look of horror at the frosting. No worries- the chunks melted when they hit the warm cake. But I really had him going for a while and making him think that he'd have to eat frosting with margarine chunks in it. Yum! He made the executive decision last night after seeing the frosting that we need to get a hand mixer. Fine by me! I haven't tasted it yet but hopefully it's decent and worthy of getting fat over! Just kidding.

Unbelievably Organized

Yesterday morning was kind of a rush to get out of the house. In the process, Jack forgot his phone plugged in to his charger at home. I called his work before I left and asked if I should bring his phone when I left for work. Usually this drop off would set me back about 15 minutes in my commute, but this week is spring break for most public schools and the traffic is absolutely heavenly compared to usual. Anyway, I stopped by his work and saw him across the room so I headed over with his phone and the charger. On my way over to him, I passed his new toolbox. It was the only box on the floor that looked remotely clean and polished. So I figured it was his. He walked me past it on the way back and motioned and said with obvious pride, "You like my new toolbox?" He opened a drawer and my jaw dropped. Coming from the man whose home desk is a mess and hates to hang up clothes, his toolbox drawers were spotless and impeccably organized. And I know organization pretty well.  I think Jack saw the surprise on my face because he smiled sheepishly and said, "I have to have everything organized so I can find it for the jobs I do. Also I need to know when a tool is missing." Wow. I'm not sure I'm going to be so lenient on him from now on!!! The man is clearly masterful at organizing when he wants to be.

Blooming!

Everything is blooming here! Yay! Most of the pollen is disappearing from the air with the rain and storms thankfully. My ears are pretty much back to normal with only a remnant left of my ear infections. It's nice to look out and see the trees full again. When the trees get the leaves, we get to leave our blinds open longer without feeling like the world can see into our place. Hurray for that! Grass is returning and pear and dogwood trees are blooming and smelling. I am thankful for spring and summer. What an awesome plan God had!

Photo taken by Cindy Seigle

 

Houseless

We went out on a limb to put a bid in on a house that apparently had quite a few other bidders. I was really nervous... until I heard that it was highest and best. Then for some reason, I was at peace. Although we would've liked the house, God obviously has something different in store for us. We've decided to keep tabs on all the houses that have escaped us and then go egg them later. Just kidding. I guess I wasn't as disappointed as Jack. I'm not sure why. I feel like I've learned a lot about patience with the big things from when I was job hunting. God's going to do the same thing again. We will look back at God's timing and celebrate in the freedom that comes with being on God's timetable. He allows nothing to happen before He deems it ready. There's a confidence, patience, and trust that comes in knowing that God is like that.

No house yet, but my grandparents, older sister, and older brother are all in the same boat. We're looking for homes at the "perfect time" in the economy with low prices, lots of foreclosures, and low interest rates. Yet... we'll find a place when God sees fit.

Dirty Trick

I love dog park politics. So funny. We spent maybe 20 minutes in the dog park before Blade got involved with yet another white and fluffy dog (he has a thing for them) and this one was a male. It turned into dominance humping and some growling and aggression and little Blade was trapped underneath this bigger small dog on his back. Well, he was dirty and hot. So I took him to the hose after rescuing him yet again from the white dog who wouldn't leave him alone and whose owner wasn't correcting her dog's behavior but rather excusing it. I hosed him off briefly and set him to go. It wasn't a good idea. The dog park is a dusty place with red clay dirt/ dust. Right away, he headed back to the white dog with dominance issues and he was on his back (with wet fur) wriggling in the mud. However, the only delight we received from the deal was when Blade got the white dog wet and thus covered in red clay. The dog was turning reddish pink. The white dog's owner was terribly upset because her dog got all muddy and she didn't know how it happened(proof she wasn't paying attention.) So we hosed Blade off yet again and walked him around til he dried off. We tried going back in the park but the white dog was still there and back to bothering our dog so.... we left. Dog park is a hit or miss kind of a deal. If one person has a bad dog in there, the whole experience is bad. At least we got some time in the sun. That was nice! The crazy thing was that the dog wasn't just after Blade. He was bothering all the other dogs just trying to play and the owner did nothing. Sigh... some people. All though it's a terrible thing to say or think, I can't say I didn't relish seeing the other dog just as dirty as our dog.

April Fool's

I'm not one for pulling mean tricks on someone (or lots of someones) on the most obvious day for foolery of the year. Who really trusts anything crazy they hear on April Fool's Day? I suppose I am a naturally suspicious person, but I become more so on April 1. Why? Because I know myself all too well and I restrain myself from doing things on this day, even if in the name of fun. I gave Jack a solemn warning this morning that I had better receive no panicked calls about a vehicle accident, a death, any severed limbs, burns or the like, because I would not respond to them in a kind fashion if it were untrue. And to be honest, it would take someone quite a bit of convincing to get me to believe something bad happened if it were true. Jack smiled and said, "That's pretty sad that you have to be saying this to me right now." Ah yes- but he gave no denial of attempting anything. 

So of course, he leaves the house to go to work and 2 seconds later I receive a call from him telling me to get down to the car because it has a flat tire. No panic in his voice. No frustration or quick rush to hang up to call his boss to tell him he'd be late cause he has to change the tire. Well, I at least gave Jack the satisfaction of going down to the car because I had to walk the dog anyway. I don't know whether he thought I believed him or not (I didn't) but he left with a big smile on his face. No harm, no foul.

Commitment

Wow. I'm really nervous. Like nervous/ excited though. I always knew that getting a house was a commitment, but man- when you look at a house that has great potential and you start allowing yourself to see possibilities with it, you can become really attached. For the record, we've only put in a bid on a house. The awesome thing is.... that the home has the potential to become that home we love and have pride in.

With a decent bit of yard, a beautiful neighborhood, a huge garage and working area for Jack, good storage space, a workable kitchen, a sunroom, and fabulously low price, our realtor told us we'd be crazy not to offer on this house. It needs lots of work- new flooring/carpet, lots of paint, some patching up but over all.... a steal of a deal. Of course, I say all this very cautiously. Our offer hasn't been accepted yet and the home has to be THOROUGHLY inspected before we accept.

It has great potential and that's the exciting part.