Pukey and Pukey

Yes, folks, Neile and I have been home all day with some sort of something. Our theory is that it is food poisoning, but we are not sure where it is from and are a little confused that it has lasted so long. Ughhhh. I hate being sick because you can’t do anything. Yea! We don’t have to go to work, but when it drains all of our energy just to walk to the other room…well, I would rather be at work feeling good. Meanwhile I have a paper due tomorrow and I haven’t even finished the reading so I can write it! AND neither of us has been able to eat all day. I did manage to get a half piece of toast down this morning which made its appearance once again this afternoon and the most recent attempt was about a half a cup of applesauce. Mmmm yummy, well, if food appeals to you and all.

In other news…no not gonna write that paper just yet. We had a fabulous weekend. Perfect weather and good company – what more could a girl ask for? We kinda joked about how much I had needed to just get away from our everyday life, but it really was needed I think. I mentioned before that we stayed with a good friend of mine, but I may not have mentioned that she has 3 kiddos (4, 2, and 8 months). They definitely keep you on your toes – I joked with Neile that this could be good birth control for him…somehow it doesn’t work that way for me. =) They took us to the Lite Rail (not sure about spelling) and we went to a waterfall, Gameworks (I was the ultimate hunter out of all 4 of us!!! I’m awesome hee hee hee), to downtown Minneapolis, and of course to a dinner at the Spaghetti factory. Fun times all around and I think some needed time for my friends as well as Neile and I.

Too Long

So it has been much longer than I had hoped since I’ve been able to update you. Funny it takes me this long and yet not too much has happened this week. Just the usual homework and making dinner and whatnot. Actually my mom and Aunt got back into town this week after being in good ole Idaho for the past two weeks. I’m always so jealous when they get to go there and I don’t – it’s been way to long since I’ve been there. Anyway, since they got back in town we’ve been able to go over 2 nights to hang out. We made the traditional family food – sushi! (we definitely cheat though and do not use raw fish) It has been great to get together because not only did I get to see my mom and Aunt but also my niece and nephew. Now I may be a teeny tiny bit biased, but these two kiddos are some of the cutest I’ve seen. Oh and the smartest 1 and 2 yr olds ever! =) Seriously though, I’ve discovered that after I go about a week or two without seeing them I really start to miss them. About a month or two ago, I didn’t see them for almost 3 weeks and pretty much started tearing up when I saw some other kids (that I am not even related to!) just because I missed them so much. And that is just for my niece and nephew – I can’t imagine what it will be like when I’m a mom!



So in other news, Neile and I are leaving in about 20 minutes to go to MN for the weekend. We’ll be staying with one of my good friends and her family and I can’t wait. I think this is actually the first time Neile and I have gotten away together since we’ve been married and we are both very excited for the break.

Home Owners?

So I’ve promised a couple people I would update them on our Homestead application process. Now for those of you that are wondering…”what the heck is homestead?” may I suggest going to Homestead. Basically though it is a program for people that fit within a certain income bracket and our interested in purchasing their first home in DuPage county. You get an amazing deal on your mortgage and of course can own a home (without this option we would probably be looking at 2 more years at least!). Pretty cool. So yes, we applied and met with someone from the Homestead program on Wednesday. The meeting went well overall and we have been placed on the “Market Ready” list. This means we can get a realtor, start looking for homes, and apply for a mortgage…with one small catch. Yes, we are in the position to go forward in the home buying process, but Homestead is not quite ready for us. Sounds like there are currently at least 50 other families on the waiting list – ahead of us, and unfortunately there is only grant money (this is why we get such an amazing deal on a mortgage) available for 20-25 of them. The good news…this grant will be made available mid-November and another one will probably be available in March. Thankfully, Homestead will call us in November to let us know where we are at with all of this. So yes, I will keep you posted. For now though, we are going to contact a realtor and see what areas in DuPage would be in our price range and also somewhere we want to live. I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about that in the near future…

Best Christmas Gift Ever!

I know, I know, it is only October. Basically what it comes down to is – I need your help to figure out the best Christmas gift ever. Here’s the deal…every year at Neile’s job a Christmas gift is given to everyone on staff (yea! Spouses get it too!). In years past the gifts have ranged from fleece jackets, Chaco sandals, to last year’s theme of “whatever you want for under $100”. They were pretty sneaky last year with that one. I think they had everyone do a “survey” of sorts. It had questions like “If you had $1000 what would you buy”. Just so you know, last year Neile wanted to take me out to dinner somewhere really nice, so we got dinner gift cards to some nice restaurants.

This year is different. Basically we all have the opportunity to submit ideas (under $100) for the gift. If our idea is chosen we win a video iPod and everyone receives the gift that we submitted. Soo exciting! Except I cannot think of anything and the deadline is drawing near. It is hard because there are a couple married people at Neile’s work and so many of the cool things I can think of seem a little dumb when you think about owning two. So yes I am desperate and I am asking you friends, family, people of the internet---HELP ME!

Membership class and small group blessings

This past Saturday, for the first time ever, I took part in a membership class at my church. Typically, the class meets on Sundays, but seeing as I haven’t been able to make it to the 3 different times it was offered (out of town, on honeymoon, and now working with the 3 yr olds) I jumped on the opportunity to go to a Saturday session.

It is a little strange that this past year is the first time I have ever even desired to be a member at a church. I have been going to church since before I can remember and have been involved in some sort of leadership/teaching role since high school. I think I’ve always just thought of membership as something that the older people do. Perhaps, now that I have reached 26 and am approaching 27 I should/could start thinking of myself as one of those older people. Ahhhhhh! I so don’t want to be old—yet at least (I’ll probably be saying that when I’m 80). So back to membership….N and I attended the class with 2 other couples from our small group. In all honesty, one of the main reasons we are so attached to our church is because of this small group.

The small group is quite simple really, 6 other couples that meet about twice a month for a potluck and Bible study of some sort. However, the friendships that N and I are making have been such a blessing to us. Hopefully ones that will be long term like so many of our other friendships.

On Being a Sluggard

This weekend was a much needed time of rest—assuming you don’t count the 6 loads of laundry done on Saturday (yes, I did in fact say 6). For the past month, the concept of rest and not having to do anything has been a bit foreign to us. We both work full time, I’m attempting to finish up my master’s degree (hopefully by May), and N is at a company that is missionary support = raise your own salary. These things are of course doable, but put on top of that keeping in touch with friends and family and also making sure the home is in working order and we are eating and working out and of course spending time with one another….well, certain things tend to take a backseat after awhile. It makes me sad sometimes to think about how often we let something fall neglected.

On Sunday, our pastor spoke about the Sluggard described in Proverbs. Some of the things used to describe this Sluggard are horrible and things I would never intentionally associate myself with. However, the fact remains that I am a Sluggard in many ways. I wouldn’t call myself lazy (most of the time) or foolish, I try to make the best of opportunities, and yet I have areas that I fail in time and again. In our times of busyness, I quite often lose sight of my purpose to glorify God and to enjoy Him. The college I attended is known for its overachieving and over-involved students, who are constantly wrestling with how to handle the busyness of life (although I personally couldn’t live up to those standards and still be able to have as much fun as I did). Five years out of college and I am beginning to see that the busyness does not go away, it just looks different. Fortunately I am also beginning to learn that in the midst of my busyness I can still glorify God and I can certainly enjoy Him as well as His creation.

Recently I read an excerpt from "Christian Faithfulness in a Time Famine" to the lab I teach. This particular article addresses the issue of sloth. To me sloth has always equaled laziness, and I certainly did not want to be guilty of that sin! But the author helps redirect my thinking on this “Sloth is whatever keeps us from seeking and hungering after God”. And yes, I have been guilty of sloth more times than I can count.

Challenge

September 25th marked the date for “we made it 6 months”. (Although I‘m not so sure I would put it quite like that) Really though…we have had our share of disagreements in this time and definitely some adjustments on both of our parts, but if anything had come up in the first 6-months that could make anyone call it quits…that just seems a little absurd to be.

It is hard to imagine that it has been just over 6 months. No it has not been long and unbearable…but I feel as though we have grown so much more than 6 mere months would allow. It really is just wild how we, as people, are actually given the capacity to stretch ourselves and grow. This includes other things in life than just marriage of course. The whole idea of selling ourselves short on our ability to grow has been on my mind longer than I can remember (yes I am a bit of a nerd and yes I do just daydream about things like this). Like when I was at camp over a year ago (I cannot believe it was that long ago) it seemed like the theme of my year there was challenge. Challenging others and self to think and act in different ways. Of course this challenge was all intended to help one grow spiritually and relationally as well as to encourage reflection, which unfortunately is so easily missed in our busy lives. I suppose that is one of the reasons I have started this blog. More than anything, I am frustrated that in the midst of my doing I have forgotten what it is like to really sit down and reflect.

Power Outage and Cell Phones

So we had a power outage where I work. I know, I know, what else could go wrong after being hit by a plague and then a flood now darkness?!?! This of course means a whole lot of people were sitting around in the dark wondering “what am I supposed to do now?” I would venture to guess that where I work is not much different from the majority of other offices in the sense that our ability to get things done is almost entirely dependent on electricity of some sort. I mean my phone didn’t even work because it’s cordless!

I’m always ranting about people’s over-reliance on cell phones – I really don’t like the idea of being available at all times, but I do have to acknowledge that if I were to lose my cell phone I would be devastated because I have no back-up for most of the numbers in it……Lord please don’t let me lose my cell phone! I used to tease N all of the time about his need to Always. Be. Available. I mean really, is anyone that important? Okay so maybe some people are, but WHO would actually want to be that important? I am definitely not one of those people. =) Side note: friends and family, feel free to keep calling me ---I really do enjoy talking to you (I just don’t always enjoy the means in which that happens).

Oh yeah, in an attempt to be completely honest I should mention how when the power went off and I found myself wandering aimlessly in the pitch black basement without a flashlight…you better believe I was wishing for my cell phone. No I wouldn’t have called anyone, but I definitely would have opened that little baby up and wha la, let there be light! My legs would have benefited from the unnecessary table bashing.

And so it begins...

Yes, I have officially succumbed to the blog world. I have been enjoying reading quite a few of my friends blogs and just couldn't help feeling slightlly jealous that I did not have my own blog. So rather than sitting around saying "I wish I had a blog" I simply begin.