Quick Takes (40): Moving, Mustiness, Pierogies, and Strep

Ummm...so is it pathetic to admit I actually started this Quick Takes post for last Friday?!?  Oh man.  I've had a severe case of the blahs lately.  Not sure what is going on.

--- 1 ---

All moved! Woo hoo. This seems sort of a given now since my last post was weeks ago, but we made the final moving load, cleaned the rental home, and turned in keys all in the same day.  That meant we were out of the rental one day earlier than we had planned thanks to some motivated friends getting us out ASAP.

--- 2 ---

Musty smell. Pee yoo! We moved just in time because I hadn't realized how stinky that place was.  All of our clothes that were hanging in the closet there reek of that musty smell.  I sort of flipped out once we had moved out and I realized that.  Does that mean we went around smelling musty for 7 months?!?  I knew our bedroom was musty and ran a dehumidifier to help with that, but our sheets, pillows, blankets, towels, and clothes all stink!  I've been in the process of washing everything to get rid of the smell.  I still have some clothes left to do and we threw away a few pillows because they were horrible.  Man...our sinuses are surely rejoicing now.

--- 3 ---

Settling in. Yee haw! Our house just feels so right for us.  The neighborhood is great and the neighbors we have met have been so friendly and welcoming.  People are active in this community, which we like, because someone is always out walking or running.  It is so much quieter than our rental house and just feels so peaceful and safe.  Remember how paranoid I was at the rental?  Yeah, not so much here.  We're getting settled "one box at a time" we say.

--- 4 ---

Polish festival. Yum oo!  Went to a polish festival at a local parish recently and it was so much fun to celebrate my Polish heritage.  I had the best pierogies ever.  Seriously, these were the fattest, yummiest pierogies made by volunteers from the church.  They had cabbage rolls, polish beer, baked goods, authentic music, dancing, and costumes, and more!  And I couldn't get over all the Polish people of all ages were speaking.  My grandma would have loved it!  I found out later they have a Polish-speaking mass there each week.  Who know there was such a Polish population here?  Definitely going back to the festival next year.  R even loved pierogi!

--- 5 ---

Strep throat. Boo hoo!  I was seriously down for the count for days with strep throat being the victor.  Even after I got on meds, my throat was still painfully raw for 4. more. days.  Oh my gosh.  I haven't been that sick in a long long time.  Not fun.  Not fun at all.  Hoping the meds kicked it and I don't need a 2nd round of them.  I've only been off meds for 3 days.  Thankfully, neither DH or R got sick, so at least that was good.  And there is a cool story about our God-daughter that came out of it, but I'll have to type that up in a non-Quick Takes post!

--- 6 ---

TV addict. Oh no!  We've done a pretty good job (in my opinion) of not letting R watch much or any TV.  I've read about not allowing screen time for kids under 2, and I've tried to follow this except for now, all of a sudden, she loves it.  She turns it on herself and loves watching Curious George.  She'll watch an entire show, and then she gets mad when it's over and the monkey isn't on anymore.  Any time we are in the same room as the TV, she wants to have it on.  Heck, any time we're on the main level, she makes her way into the TV room to turn it on.  I'm about ready to move the TV to our bedroom or the garage because I don't know what else to try.  Any advice?

--- 7 ---

Missing there. Boo hoo!  I've had a serious case of missing the previous area we lived in.  I've been missing the start of the semester, the campus buzzing with students around, my teaching job, friends, our church there, etc.  It's been really, really hard lately and I'm not sure why.  I mean, I should be all excited because we just moved into the home, and instead I'm again realizing how final our move feels.  We are here, in this place, indefinitely.  That means no white Christmases for R growing up, no 4 seasons like I am used to, etc.  Blech.  I know it's still adjustment.  And adjustment takes time.  And I'm not one big on change, so adjustment takes even longer with me.  Still, I'd like to figure out how to cultivate more of a spirit of gratitude and joy inside rather than all the yuckiness that goes on in my head.  I'll also take suggestions on gratitude and joy as well!

And with that, have a great weekend!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Moving Update

Phew...it's been a whirlwind of days again.  They all seem to blend together lately.  We closed on the house July 31st and got possession Aug. 3rd.  It was neat to meet the original homeowners at the closing.  They were the sweetest couple- retired and moving closer to be near their son and grandchildren.  And they went to church with our next-door neighbor from the rental home.  How crazy is that?  They knew we were the ones buying their home after talking with their fellow church member/our neighbor.  Small world.

We were over the morning we got possession to check everything out and the sellers left the home in amazing condition.  They even vacuumed and cleaned after the movers had cleared their things out.  Seriously, super nice people.

We set to work on a few house projects like changing door locks, adding deadbolts to all the doors since there were none, getting carpets cleaned, cleaning the chimney, roof repairs, pest spraying, and new carpeting in some rooms.  Phew.  That is a lot of coordinating work while balancing schedules (DH's, R's, etc.)

All of that work is done and DH and I have slowly been moving things over to the new house when we can.  Our cars are small (Hyundai Elantra and Sonata), so it feels like we have been going over there a ton.  At least it's only 3-4 miles away from our rental home.  But still, every day we've been going over with full carloads of stuff.  We managed to clear out our basement and most of the garage that way.  Then we rented a small truck earlier this week and made 2 huge loads of furniture and bigger items.  Our closets are emptied and we've just got kitchen and bathroom items that remain to be moved.  We also have one more truck rental for the last remaining large items.

We are so close to being free of the rental!  And the timing is good because DH is tired of going out at night to chase the raccoon off of our roof.  One night last week he was out at 3am because the raccoon was going to town on the shingles above the master bedroom and neither of us could fall back asleep. Ugh.  And my mad cockroach killing skills keep getting more and more practice here.  Yuck.

We have tons of work to do moving boxes and furniture at the new house since most things are still in the basement as it was the easiest place for DH and I to put it.  It has been a rough week with R.  While she loves playing at the new house, she doesn't like seeing everything get packed up at the rental.  She's been extra clingy and whiny.  Sleep has regressed for her somewhat (we expected it with a big change like the move).  And she's getting a 3rd molar in which only adds to all the irritability.  For everyone's sake, but hers especially, we are ready to start settling down into our new home.  I feel so bad for her, poor girl.  Even extra snuggles and love don't help right now.  Just a few more days!!

Quick Takes (39): July re-cap

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Ummm....hello, August !  What did you do with July?  I seriously don't know where the month went.  Here's a re-cap to what we've been up to.  We started off the month with DH away on a youth trip for a week.  He was one of the chaperones, and while he had a great time with the kids, it was hard to have him gone for a week.  (This was on the heels of being gone 2 weeks for another trip, so it probably just magnified the hardness factor).  These are the times I wish we were closer to family.  R and I survived though, and thankfully it's probably the last long trip DH will take for awhile.

--- 2 ---

We spent a whole week in MN for my brother's wedding.  We had lots and lots and lots of family time, which was mostly good.  DH and I were both in the wedding while R was not.  That was a little bit of a challenge with all of the wedding party duties and a little one who still takes 2 naps, but overall, she did great with all the over stimulation.  And we were so honored to be able to stand up for them on their big day and be present for all of their special festivities.

--- 3 ---

While there I got to spend lots of time with my Grandma since we stayed in the guest suite at her senior center.  I loved watching R spend time with Grandma.  I love my Grandma to death, and I'm closer to her than my own mother.  She's the last living great-grandparent for R, and I'm so thankful for the time, pictures, and video I got of them together.  I truly don't know if I will see her again.  She's almost 91 and her health has declined considerably.  And while she still drives her car (yikes!) and is fairly independent in her senior center, my heart tells me it may have been the last time or at least the last time for her to be so coherent and interactive.  I had this feeling the last time I visited my Grandpa too, so I don't know if it's real or just the worry-er in me.  R ate up the attention from Grandma, it was so fun to watch.  And of course it makes me miss my Grandpa that he never got the chance to meet R (dang, IF and miscarriage.  You make me so mad sometimes.)

--- 4 ---

Shortly after the trip, DH and I celebrated our 8th anniversary!  Wow!  That seems like such a long time, and yet it doesn't.  I've known DH for 14 years now.  Wow.  And after our 1st breakup, I never would have imagined we'd get back together and get married.  ha, ha. That is a funny story.  God had something better in store that I didn't realize at the time in the midst of all the pain.  I'm so thankful for DH- he seriously is such a better person than me.  I don't deserve to be married to someone so good.

--- 5 ---

I had a college friend come to visit.  She was in town for a conference, but came in early to see us.  It was so fun to have her see where we are living now (she agreed it was definitely unique and odd) and she also got to see our new house since we had the walk through when she was here.  R hammed it up for her, which was fun for me to watch, and my friend had lots of great ideas, advice, and encouragement to give about parenting that came at just the right time when I needed it. 

--- 6 ---

I turned 35.  I usually love July for the anniversary and birthday month celebrations, but this is one birthday I really wasn't looking forward to.  For some reason, 35 seems so much older than 30-34 to me. Hello, AMA (advanced maternal age).  Not real excited to see you.  When I was younger (ie. in my 20s), I always assumed I'd be done having kids by the time I was 35.  I never dreamed we'd struggle with so many different health issues for me that we only learned about after we got married.  I know of the risk factors that increase with health and pregnancy after 35.  And in other ways, I don't feel as old as the number looks on paper.  I'm so happy and content with our one precious child now.  I don't want to hurry up and rush time by.  I'm not ready to jump back on the TTC wagon again with all of the tests, meds, and stress that it's meant for me in the past.  Ultimately, this birthday has me trusting God even more so with my health, fertility, and size of our family.  It's not the path I envisioned to be on, but I trust it's even better than I envisioned it to be!

--- 7 ---

July also marked the start of night sleep training for R.  For the past several months, she's continued to wake up multiple times overnight to nurse.  Thanks to some fabulous advice from a fabulous blogger (Hebrews 11:1), we started the journey to get her sleeping longer, better, and deeper at night.  Hebrews' advice was just what I need to hear (well, read actually) to do what we probably should have done 2 or 3 months ago.  We are still working out the kinks with bedtimes and naptimes, but she's currently sleeping 10 1/2 to 11 hours at night.  Just what a growing, developing little girl needs.  I, on the other hand, am not.  I think it's time to sleep train myself next!

So there ya have it.  Now I realize why I only posted one measly time in July!  Here's to hopefully more posts in August.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

The House

Wowsers!  Has it really been a month since my last post?!?  Yikes.  I did not intend to take a month off of blogging, but this has been the summer-o-travel for us as well as the summer-o-hecticness with buying a house among other summer projects.  I will save all the travel stories for another post, but in honor of closing on our house this week, I thought I'd share a few pictures with you.  How does that sound?

Here's a side view: brick front with Hardeeplank siding.

It has a drive under garage, which is new (and weird) to us, but apparently they are quite common here.  While I'm used to only one type of garage (attached, where you just drive up the driveway and straight in), here we've looked at homes with drive unders, side drives, and the traditional front style.  The nice part about a drive under is you get half a basement with it because the garage portion only takes up half of the space in the basement.  Most homes around here are either built on a slab or on a crawl space, so it is a bit of a luxury to have a basement even if it's only 1/2 a one.  The basement will be our primary storage space.

The bad part about a drive under, and the reason we really didn't want a house with this, is that every time you come home, you have to walk up all those stairs from the garage to the main level.  When I think about carrying groceries and R, it gets to be a little overwhelming.  But it's free (forced) exercise, and there were a ton of other good points about the home, so this is one area where we had to give in a little bit to something that wasn't our top choice.

We do have a formal dining room! 

We've never had a formal dining space before, so it's sort of exciting to think about.  I can finally get the hutch I've been wanting for years but never had the space for.  I can't wait to display some of the fine china and special pieces my grandma has recently given me.  These were items that she had displayed in her hutch, so it will be extra special to display them in mine.  Plus, it'll be so nice to have the extra dining space for hosting guests in our home.  We always have large groups of people over, so I'm looking forward to hosting here.  As you can see, we do have some wallpaper that needs to come down and painting to take place.  I don't know what color yet, but we shall see.

The kitchen is also an area that will need a little work at some point.  We have a small breakfast nook overlooking several of the trees in the yard. 

All of the appliances are new as well as the tile floor, granite counter tops, and tile backsplash.  I don't know what to do about the cupboards and dark-trimmed windows though.  This is a sign of the home being built in the late 80s.  The whole upstairs has white trim and white windows everywhere and the main level has these dark wood windows, trim, and doors.  We could paint the windows and trim, but that seems like such a huge task with so much attention to detail.  We do plan to paint some of the dark wood trim in other places, and I suppose we could paint the cupboards or reface the doors.  I just don't have a vision for what to do, but we have time to figure that out.  I know I want to brighten things up a bit but am afraid of it not looking good if we just paint over it.

We have another whole list of items we want to fix or update- trees trimmed, some landscaping problems fixed, repairs on the roof, and so on.  Once we close, we have to figure out what needs to be done before we move in and what is less urgent and can wait awhile.  Thankfully, we have about 2 weeks after we get possession of the home before we need to be out of our rental home.  We could probably push it and be out sooner (We both want to be.  Wait until you hear out latest critter stories), but it's nice to have the extra time and not have to stress about moving quickly.

Our new home is 3.5 miles from our current rental home, so DH and I figure we can load both our cars up and make several trips over on our own before we rent a truck to move all of the big items.  Hopefully, that way we can organize the items we bring over little by little.  Our new home is just 3.1 miles from DH's work and church!  Still super close, but it won't compare to the 0.9 mile commute he's had from the rental!  He's gotten spoiled here.  I know of another blogger who moved 3.1 miles away from her sister (Patiently Waiting....Kinda).  My DH appreciates the 3.1 number as he is a runner too (3.1 miles = 5K).

Anyway, lots more going on that I hope I get time to blog about.  It's still so hard for me to believe we are moving yet again.  It feels like we've been moving since last fall, which I suppose we have been when you factor in prep time, moving, and living in temporary housing.  Even though it's just a local move, this place has been our home for the past 7 months.  It's the place where R learned to crawl and walk, and of course holds memories for us.  It makes me a little sad to think about leaving,
but I guess that's the sentimental person in me talking.  On to new and different things in our own home!

A House Update

Sorry I've been MIA for 2+ weeks.  Phew...it's been a doozy of 2 weeks.  I'm exhausted from everything we've had going on.  I will re-cap most of the activities in another post, but for now I am long overdue on a house update.

We're buying a house!

I haven't had the chance to update y'all because we've had an insane travel schedule (more on that in another post), but basically things are working out with the house I had previously mentioned (house #2).  Out of the 10 offers they had, ours got accepted!

I think I mentioned some of the basics in a previous post about how it wasn't what we were thinking of as our dream home, but it was in an area we've had our eye on and just had to walk through it.  Our agent actually wasn't available, so we ended up walking through with one of her teammates.  I just had a sense that we needed to rush to get inside the home, and by the time we did, they had multiple offers on it already.  We pretty much had to make a quick decision (again) about putting an offer on, but this time the asking price was much lower than house #1 and I felt much better about putting an offer out there and seeing what happened.  Our agent told the sellers our story and they accepted our offer!  They had higher offers from investors, but were extremely adamant about selling their home to a family.  I have to respect that a lot.  And it makes me feel good about the neighborhood as well given that they didn't want their home to turn into a rental property from the investors.  The sellers had lots of documents for us to look at and tons of information about the house.  After our walk through and not spotting a speck of dirt, we felt good about the sellers for being so meticulous with their upkeep of the home.

But I kept thinking about how this was not the ideal time for me/us to buy a house.  I spent days talking about how I didn't want to buy a house now given DH's travel schedule, our family travel, etc. not to mention it's the hottest time of the year here in July and August.  Who in their right mind would choose to move?  Apparently, that's us.

But throughout the whole process we've had peace- peace that whatever was supposed to happen would.  From the time we put an offer on to waiting to hear back and then jumping through all the hoops of home buying, we have felt an overwhelming sense of peace.  It's been so completely different than with the 1st contract we had on a house.  I've been much more relaxed and calm.  No freakouts over the purchase of a home this time.  Seriously, what an amazing gift.  Perhaps because I've had too much on my mind with all the travel to really have the energy to get worked up.

Or perhaps because we did learn a lot going through the 1st contract and walking away from that home; we've been more relaxed this 2nd time around.  It was hard to walk away from the 1st house we fell in love with, but having gone through that process, we now have a better appreciation for all the great care taken in this 2nd home.  Yes, it stunk to lose money with the 1st house and I hated getting my hopes up only to have them dashed away by disappointment, but we learned so much through that experience.  We both agree that it was good for us to go through (sort of like our thoughts on IF as well...painfully brutal to have gone through, but it shaped who we are today and for that, the process was worthwhile.  That is definitely a reflection for another post as well).

Anyways, while I spent the first days of June thinking about all the reasons why I didn't want to buy a home right then,  God was clearly reminding me that this process is not about me, my wants, or my desires.  It's all about Him.  And once I realized that, it's like I let out a huge sigh of relief and sat back to enjoy (most of) the ride of home buying.

We went through the home again with our agent and she loved it. It felt bigger than we remembered from our initial walk through, which was a pleasant surprise to DH and I.  We negotiated terms of the contract with the sellers (they had lots of "Wants" on their list that we needed to comply with).  We put down more earnest money for them, we let them have a flexible closing date, we let them have possession of the home 4 days after closing, etc.

Then the house inspection went amazingly well.  The inspector commented on how the home was an anomaly to him because he just doesn't see homes in that good of condition (regardless of its age).  Everything that came up in the inspection was minor, and yet we still asked them to take care of a few things (service the furnaces and a/c units, fix some electrical outlets, clean up bat waste in the attic, repair a leak, and repair a few things on the roof/chimney) and they agreed to all the repairs!!

We got all the loan documents together and signed the day before DH had to leave for 3 weeks away!  Talk about God's perfect timing, huh?  The one week he was home, I was able to run around gathering all the docs they needed as well as getting him to sign everything.  Phew...that was a crazy week along with packing for his trip and ours. 

We negotiated the appraisal (it came in slightly under the contract price) and our mortgage has been approved.  The only thing we are waiting on is a closing date!  Simply amazing.  It's still hard to believe we are buying a home.  There's something so much more permanent about buying a home than just renting.  We really are becoming long term residents here (not that we wouldn't or couldn't staying in our rental home.  It just seems more permanent when you buy your own home).

We don't know if we will be here 5, 10, 15, or more years, which was the hard part about buying a home.  I still think we'll want/need to get better organized with our things to maximize space in the new home.  And we still have some items to sort through that we just ran out of time doing before the cross-country move.  Our home is "cute" and will become "cozy" unlike the 1st home which was "stunning" and felt "massive."  And DH and I are ok with cute and cozy.  It means our family will have to spend time together in the living spaces (and hopefully the kid/kids will want to).  People won't be able to retreat away and "get lost" in the house.  And it'll probably mean we think twice before we make purchases, so that we aren't buying unnecessary items that'll just take up space.  We are so comfortable with our budget for the new home and will still be able to save aggressively for retirement, tithe, and travel.  Those are all important to us.

I still don't understand the timing of this all as I would have preferred to wait until the fall, and yet I believe God is doing "something more" here that I can just begin to see.  He's reminded me (again) that I'm not in control, and trusting Him is the best place to be.

Quick Takes (38)

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Homes: I have an update I've been mulling around in my head regarding the home we put an offer on.  It's an experiential faith lesson for me at the moment, and I'm still learning/processing it all.  Let me process a bit more before updating.  Sorry to leave you in suspense!

--- 2 ---

Video monitor: It seems like every day I kick myself for not getting a video baby monitor.  We settled for a baby monitor that we loved when R was little (it had a motion sensor under the mattress that would go off if she stopped breathing).  I could sleep easier at night not worrying about SIDS as much, but we no longer use the sensor pad.  And with all her activity in the crib lately, I'd love to see what she's doing (the other day she got her shirt half off).  Plus, I think it would be helpful to see what she's doing as I think about night weaning at some point, and helpful to see when she starts trying to climb out of the crib because I have a feeling that will be coming soon and I'd like to prevent direct falls on the head if possible.  So do I give in and just spend a few hundred on a new video monitor or ride this out??

--- 3 ---

Thunderstorms: I've forgotten what it's like to live in a place where you have to take cover during weather warnings!  We were spoiled in our previous home where severe storms were few and far between.  Yes, we had snow, but lightening, strong winds, and tornadoes were rare occurrences.  I still don't understand why all homes don't have basements around here.

--- 4 ---

Hard times a'coming: We're soon entering a time of summer where I must face several challenges from DH being out of town, to spending time with my mom (our relationship is extremely strained), to travel with a super active toddler, to a climate I don't enjoy, etc.  I'm trying to make realistic expectations for myself given all that is coming up and am praying already for peace, safety patience, and kind words.

--- 5 ---

Heat and humidity: I hate it.  DH hates it.  We knew we wouldn't like living in the South for this reason.  I might just hibernate to the kiddie pool for the next 3 months.  If you don't hear from me, its because I'm in the water and staying away from electrical items while wet.  Our rental home does not get cool.  The A/C seems to run constantly from 2:00 onwards and that can be with the air set at 80 degrees.  It's hot overnight.  The humidity makes our house smell like a combination of wet dog and mustiness.  We are so ready to find our own place and move.  Sorry for the whining.

--- 6 ---

Email responses: I'm terrible at responding to emails.  What is wrong with me?  I love getting mail in all forms (email, snail mail, etc.) And I love sending mail as well.  But lately, my in box just keeps getting fuller and fuller and fuller.  I can't put together many emails of coherent length at all.  And I just think about how far behind I am in the email department.  What is with the pokey little puppy approach to my email responses? 

--- 7 ---

And now I'm off to find some "cool" somewhere.  Oh what I wouldn't give to have a 70 degree day around here and I'm not talking about 70 at 3am!  Enjoy the weekend.

 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Quick Takes (37): Hodge Podge

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Women's conference: I had a fabulous time at the women's conference last weekend!  I was so glad I went.  I felt a little odd going by myself, especially when it came time to try and find a seat among the other 8,500 women there, but I mustered up the courage to do it both days and told myself I'd never see the women I was sitting next to again, so who cares if they thought I was a weirdo for sitting by myself.  The conference has given me a lot to think about and I'm still trying to find the time to process and put up a post on what I learned/was challenged with.

--- 2 ---

House hunting: We've continued the process.  And as much as I'm not interested in moving this summer because of all our traveling, we walked through a house yesterday that has us putting an offer on today!  It's an older, smaller, less open feeling home than the 1st one we had an offer on, but financially it is so much better for our comfort level.  It's in a great subdivision with swim/tennis and lots of activities for families. It's on a court (that would be a cul-de-sac for you Midwesterners- myself included) in a really nice neighborhood.  The home is older (built in 1987), but still the original owner who has meticulously cared for it.  We'd feel good buying from someone like that.  They listed everything out, including the types of bird species they regularly see from the deck!  Most major items have been replaced (roof, a/c units, furnaces, water heater, etc. and the siding and deck have recently been painted). We would need to do some updating (take down wallpaper, paint dark wood trim, etc.), but that would all be cosmetic and could come later.  It has a nice yard I can see R playing in and an unfinished basement for storage...well, 1/2 basement since it's a drive under garage.  My only issue is the square footage....I'm wondering if we will outgrow it at some point as it's hard to imagine what our family will look like in 5 or 10 years.  They already have 6 offers on the home (1 from a family for close to list price and 5 from investors for over list price), so we are #7 but they only want to sell their home to a family.  So we wait and see what happens over the weekend, but I'm really ok with whatever happens.  I've come to terms with the financial sacrifices we need to make if I stay home and if we want to continue to tithe 10% and save 20% for retirement.  I love the newer homes built after 2000 and how open and roomy they are, but we just can't afford those in this particular school district on one income.  I'm ok with whatever happens with our offer.  We shall see.

--- 3 ---

A baptismal birthday.  R's baptismal birthday is coming up and I'm wondering how to celebrate.  Do any of you celebrate your baptismal birthday (the specific day you were baptized)?  I always send a card to our Godchildren to acknowledge the special day each year and remind them of the importance of their baptism, but I'm wondering what sort of traditions to start with R.  There's always so much emphasis on actual birthdays- the physical day we were born.  Why not place the same or greater level of importance on the date of our baptism- a day that marks our spiritual re-birth?  I know R won't remember what we do now, so I guess it's more of a question for down the road, but I'd like to start some sort of traditions with it now.  Hmm....ideas?

--- 4 ---

Summer Bible study: I've decided to try participating in an online Bible study of sorts this summer (well, really just 6 weeks starting next week).  My personal time with God and His Word has really been lacking since we moved here.  I read a short devotion with a Bible verse in the evening and journal a few thoughts down on the remainder of the page.  I pray throughout the day and with DH in the evening.  I attend worship on Sundays.  I think about God-related matters frequently.  That is about the extent of my spiritual walk, and it seems to be the sparsest it's been for awhile, and I'm not proud about it.  I saw this study on a blog, and just felt it would be so good for me.  It's a study based on Gideon about my weakness and God's strength.  I'm not super familiar with Gideon, but reading about the study seems so valid for me right now because I feel so weak in my parenting skills, my ability as a wife lately, etc.  It starts on Tuesday with a video that will be uploaded to a blog and then there are 5 days of homework (readings about Gideon, questions about the Bible, and personal questions).  This goes on for 6 weeks.  If anyone wants to join me, I'd love to have a study buddy or two!  More details can be found here. 

--- 5 ---

Upromise: If any of you were interested in setting up a Upromise account that I mentioned in a previous post, let me know because I can send you an email to sign up and we'll both get $5 in our account!  Sweet. Free money.  I like free money!  This is only good until the end of June, so let me know ASAP.  Upromise is a way to save for college (for you, your child, or existing loans you have).

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Travel plans: I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy some of our airline tickets earlier this spring when I first started looking.  I've traveled enough by now that I should have known to book earlier rather than later, but I was waiting to see if the flight on a specific airline would come down to the lower price another airline offered.  It hasn't and now we're probably going to pay $100 more a ticket.  Dumb $200 mistake, PPIW.  And now I wonder if I just book to prevent the price from going further up or wait and see if it comes down again.  There are still plenty of seats, so that does give me options, but it's a gamble and I've never been one to like gambling!

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And this, you see, is what happens when I actually start Quick Takes on Thursday.  They all of a sudden become Long Takes when I finish them with all my wordy details on Friday.  Ah, well.  Enjoy the weekend!!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!