Where is my other hat?

Happy Birthday Baby!

2009-02-18T16:46:00.002-06:00

Well, I'm a little late in this, but I still want to wish Katie a Happy Birthday! Yesterday was her fourth birthday. I can't believe how big she is. Of course, I think she's big physcially, but also mentally. You can hold a conversation with her and understand what she is saying. She has lots of her own original ideas and I just love it! Her sense of humor is a little strange, but she still makes me laugh all the time. Four-year-old humor is much different than what I would consider humorous. She has a lot of made up words and I have to remind her to use words that I understand, but she finds joy in all things. She is such a loving little girl and is always wanting to share her things with her friends. I hope that she continues to have an open mind about things, but also hope that she doesn't get hurt. She is sensitive to other's emotions and wants to help someone feel happy if they are sad. Her favorite color is still purple. She just now asked me to invite a friend from school to her birthday party next time. This is the first time she has wanted to have someone from school over! I just love my little girl so very much. I hope for her to continue to be such a wonderful girl and person. She is developing into such a beautiful person!

Mama loves you Katie!

I don't get it

2009-02-10T14:18:00.000-06:00

There is a phrase and variations of a phrase that I have been seeing all over the place, especially in the knit blog world. Would someone be so kind as to enlighten me as to the meaning of "I can haz...?" There is always an overuse of the letter z and the grammar is appalling. Am I just being too uptight? Does this bother anyone else? Is it someone's way of being funny? I just don't get it. Please explain.

2009-01-24T09:23:00.002-06:00

Yesterday as we were driving to Grandma's house, Katie told me that Mathew was her boyfriend. I almost lost control of the car. Then she said that she was going to marry him. I asked her if he was cute and she said in a sly voice, yea. The boy craziness sure starts early! I asked her why she liked him and she responded, "cause he's AWESOME!" Great. I didn't think this started until at least third grade!

Happy Birthday!

2009-01-15T11:50:00.001-06:00

Today is my mom's birthday so I want to wish her a Happy Birthday! I love you mom!

The Kindness of Strangers

2009-01-14T08:30:00.003-06:00

Yesterday Katie and I went to HyVee to get our groceries. The floral department always has balloons for the kids to take with them. Katie got her purple balloon and was playing with it when we were leaving the store. I was trying to hold on to her and the shopping cart so neither would get away from me. Well, the balloon got away from her. It is one that they blow up with air then put it on a stick. It came off the stick and Katie started to go after it. It was next to a car, but when she got to it, it went under the care and lodged between the engine and the ground. I didn't want her going under the car and told her that it was gone and we would just have to get another one another time. She was not happy with this and started crying. Then, out of nowhere, a man came over and said "I'll get it for her." Before I could object he was down on the cold parking lot shimmying under this car to get a balloon for a little girl he didn't even know. I just about broke into tears thanking him. All the change and keys and stuff fell out of his pocket and he just went deeper under this car to get the balloon. He made my daughter's day. He renewed my faith in humanity. He must have been a grandpa.

2009-01-09T09:54:00.002-06:00

No time for a real post, but here are a few tidbits of late:

-According to Katie, she has "fives" not hives. Some kind of reaction to something, most likely new body wash. Trying to figure it out, thankful for Zyrtec.

-David is simply adorable. We had a nice little conversation last night. He wanted to cry, but I talked him into just being cute.

-My one and only New Year' s Resolution failed yesterday. I made the resolution to knit or crochet every day of the year, but sadly I didn't get a stitch of either in yesterday. But, I did see a baby, so it was worth it. And my baby isn't contagious.

-The sweater is in the same state it was in 3 days ago. Maybe I'll have time this weekend to work on it.

-A small group of us are taking a field trip tomorrow to Parkville to go to a really neat store. I am quite excited.

-TGIF!!

Happy Birthday!

2009-01-08T09:42:00.002-06:00

We have a new baby in our family! David Yung-Shen (I think that is how you spell it) was born last night around 9 pm. Nicole and David are doing great from what I hear. I haven't seen them yet, but I hear that David has lots of dark hair and is very cute. Congratulations to Steve, Nicole, and David.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T18:37:00.002-06:00

So, since I am four days late sending good wishes for the coming year, does that mean that I will be perpetually late this year? I sure hope not.

Still no baby. I am sure Nicole is just wanting little one to show his face. I thought he'd have been here by now, but he's just hanging out waiting til the time is right.

It has been a good year so far, so I hope this good stuff keeps coming.

Katie starts her new preschool tomorrow, so we are all looking forward to that. Every day for the past week she has been asking when she gets to go. I know that she will do great with everything. Sometimes I wish I could just keep her little, but I know that she has to grow up and move on. I wish the absolute best for her.

I have made great progress on my current obsession. Some people may call it a sweater, but I am calling it a time sucker. I started this project during the week of Christmas and I am a sleeve and sewing away from being able to wear it. I love having a project like this that I am completely devoted to and can't wait to wear. It makes my hobby that much more enjoyable when everything comes together so smoothly. I have made plenty of mistakes, but since I am crocheting it, I can fix them without as much trouble as there would be if it were knitted. I've never made a garment with crochet, so this is a first for me. So far I love it. I just hope that it fits well when I am done.

My parents were very generous in their Christmas gift to me this year. They gave me money for my hobbies. So, you know what that means, right? YARN!! Knit Wit, a store in Olathe, was hosting a 30% off sale the day after Christmas. I did some good damage that day. I got enough yarn to make a full size sweater, a sleeveless sweater, a hat, and a couple scarves. I think I got something like 20 or so skeins of yarn. I spent all but $0.55 of what my parents gave me. Because of the sale, I saved over $30 (the cost of half a sweater). Give me a sale and a budget and I will try to squeak every last cent out of it! I was willing to add to the pot a little, but realized that the amount of yarn I got plus the amount I already have SHOULD keep me busy at least until summer. That is if I don't have a new obsession every week. I feel like this is rambling, but yarn makes me happy! Especially when it is such a good deal and so soft! Stay tuned for more project news. Who knows, you may even get a picture some time. No promises though!

We rang in the New Year like old people. I had Katie sleeping on my lap, we saw the clock hit midnight, everyone got there coats on and we were in bed by 12:30. We spent the evening with friends and played games. Oh, and I knit. And played games. And talked. I am a multitasker.

I had to work Friday to get ready for this week at work, but I think I got most everything ready to go. Once a quarter, I have to administer some chemistry tests, so I get to do that this week. That with all the monthly tests coming and sampling and running the regular tests is going to make for a busy week. I will be glad when it is over. At least it is only once a quarter.

On that note, I think I will end this rambling mish mash of brain drain and bid you all goodnight. I have a school girl to get ready for bed!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T07:21:00.003-06:00

This year I had a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit. Usually I am ready to go around Thanksgiving. I didn't even get my tree up until the middle of December and is wasn't fully decorated until last week. It has been a trying time recently with Ben working crazy insane hours, dealing with the stress of finding new care for Katie while we work, taking our crazy allergic dog in for her third ear hematoma repair, dealing with anxieties and depression issues, and the list could go on and on.

But, as always, things seem to work themselves out whether I have a hand in it or not. We are starting Katie in preschool at the beginning of January, Charlie is recovering nicely from her surgery, Ben got notice that they are not going to be working over the next two weekends, the anxieties are lifting, and I am starting to see the light at the end of the depression tunnel. It helps having people that know when I need some words of encouragement or simply stating they are thinking of me. I know I don't have to go at life alone, I have lots of people that will help me. I just need to take the time to remember that.

I am soon to be an aunt. Little one is showing signs that he doesn't want to be inside any longer. He's about ready to meet the world and we are thrilled. We could have a Christmas baby yet!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope this season finds you well.

Brought to you by the letter K

2008-11-30T17:29:00.002-06:00

Katie would like to share the spotlight for a moment.

Hi, this is Katie. I am three. My favorite color is purple. I like Batman. I like the hero part the best from the original Batman. I love all my friends! I like to read books. My favorite is Jasmine. She's also my favorite princess. I want Star Wars Legos. I like to play with Legos at church in my classroom. My mommy just made me a purple pillow.

Have a good day!

Gunner made me do it.

2008-11-24T07:49:00.002-06:00

Yes, it has been awhile. Here's what we've been up to, mostly.

-Katie completed her first round of swim lessons and loved it.
-Ben had his appendix removed.
-Katie was sick and is sick again. Just a cold this time, most likely 24 hour flu last time.
-I completed 1 skirt, 2 sweaters, 1 monkey, some of a blanket, most of a sock, 1 prosthetic for breast cancer survivors, 1 Halloween costume of Weather Woman (a Backyardigans favorite). Can I just knit and crochet and sew instead of anything else? I would get so much more done!
-I got my hair cut.
-I dyed my hair purple. Seriously, purple.
-Katie got her hair cut.
-I am working on a costume for Katie so she can be in the Advent drama at church.
-I don't want to work this week. Three days work then two days holiday? Just give me the whole week.
-My idea of a group of people getting together to sit and talk and do something crafty is working! We've had several meetings and want more people to join us.
-My girlfriend from high school is having a wedding reception tonight.
-My sister-in-law is having a baby shower tonight.
-I wish I could be in two places at once. Have fun at the shower.
-I am tired. I want some time for me. I had a holiday earlier this month and ended up spending all my free time on Katie. Good thing I love her so much.
-I am having two Thanksgiving dinners in one day. Bleh. Do I get a nap?
-We are not exchanging Christmas gifts with extended family this year. I think we'll make a donation instead.
-I can't think of anything else right now.

Can you tell I need more sleep? I would get it if I wasn't such a light sleeper and Katie would sleep a little bit longer.

Question for the masses

2008-09-29T13:44:00.003-05:00

Does anyone have a video camera I can borrow for the evening next Thursday?

2008-09-08T12:16:00.002-05:00

I am in a quandary. I don't know who to vote for in November. I try to read as much as I can about each candidate, but I don't seem to find anything to make me decide one way or another. If you have made your decision, which I know most of my readership has, please tell me why you are voting the way you are and why I should vote and should not vote for either candidate.

Katie and I were watching tv recently and an Obama ad came on. Right after that, a McCain ad was aired. She made the comment of "bleh" to each of them. Ben and I haven't really been talking politics at home, this is just what she has come up with while the news is on. I asked her who I should vote for in November. She said, "No one. I don't want Obama OR McCain in my house." Ok, who replaced my THREE year old with an adult? Right now, I feel the same way. I can't find reason to vote for either of them. Maybe that petition I signed to get Nadar on the ballot will come in handy.

Remember, this is a family blog, so no name calling! :)

If I'm not blogging, I'm watching the Olympics

2008-08-20T11:30:00.002-05:00

Is anyone else as enamoured with the Olympics as I am? I have fallen asleep many nights in the past couple weeks with the games on. I wish we could see a wider variety of events. How about some kayak races? I know that a lot of the events have been completed, but I missed out on seeing a bunch of the less popular events. I still am in awe with the drummers at the opening ceremony.

Something new

2008-08-11T11:33:00.002-05:00

I just ate something that was completely new for me and I loved it! I had the very first tomato even grown by my hands! It is very satisfying to eat something that I planted and nurtured myself. Next year I am already planning more things for my little garden, but must decide where to place it. Such a dilemma!

The end of the suspense

2008-08-06T10:31:00.003-05:00

So, if you read my post from yesterday, you may have guessed that there is a new little one on the way. But, before you get too excited, it is not mine. However, just as I was excited to become a mother, I am very excited to share that I will be an aunt! Steve and Nicole are expecting their baby in January. Her due date is early in the month, so we could possibly have a Christmas or New Year's baby! Or, even better, the first baby born in the new year! It feels good to be able to talk about it, finally. I have been keeping this news since the very beginning of June. That is too long to hold something like that in!

In other news, I made a new dish last night for dinner. Well, it's not exactly new, but I added a new ingredient that I have never used before. I made a fruit salad and added some cut up pork chops with a dressing that I made up. The dressing was a mix of Miracle Whip, honey, cinnamon, white wine vinegar (just a little to thin it out), sesame seed oil, and mint from my little garden. The mint is the new addition. I really liked the way the flavors all mixed together. I used blueberries, raspberries, and grapes for the fruits. The oil gave it a little bit of a complex flavor that is somewhat unexpected. Just a little dab will do you! I think I may have overdone the cinnamon just a bit, but it was still yummy. Then I served it over spinach leaves and had corn on the cob on the side. All in all, it was a good meal!

I forgot to mention that I am less than five pounds from my weight loss goal! If I keep going right the next few weeks, I can get there by Labor Day.

On a roll

2008-08-05T10:10:00.002-05:00

I have been finishing things lately. In just the last two days, I finished three projects! Well, all that is left on one is attaching the buttons, another just needs to finish drying, and the third I need to find some buttons.

I finally finished the tank I started back in April when I took a class from the designer. It was all knit since May or June (I can't remember when I actually finished the knitting) but has been lingering because I didn't feel that I knew what I was doing when it came to sewing up the seems. So, I finished it last night about 10:30 except for the buttons. Be expecting it's debut soon! The buttons should go on tonight.

The second project I finished was Ben's socks. I started on these bad boys back in October. They finally came off the needles yesterday during lunch. All that was left on it was one teeny little seem at the toe. It had been in that state for weeks. Do you sense a pattern here?

The third item is something I am proud of. I started and finished it in two weeks time. I could have finished it sooner, but didn't' work on it at all for an entire weekend! So, it still needs to find the perfect little buttons. The little item that I knit is going for a very special little person that I have not met yet.

Happy Birthday

2008-07-22T21:21:00.002-05:00

To ME!

I spent the day with my darling daughter and we had a great time. We went to a couple stores and got something we both would enjoy, had lunch with my family, then went "home" to my parents' house for the afternoon with hopes of napping (for me) and being spoiled (for her). Both were accomplished nicely with my mom being the doting grandma that she is and allowing me to just chill and rest in the comfort of my old home. After awhile, we picked up some stuff for dinner, met Ben at home and cooked dinner, if you can call steaming some corn, reheating some bread, and cutting up a rotisserie chicken cooking. After dinner, we watched Wipeout and ate birthday cake.

Ben and Katie got me a wool winder so I can knit more efficiently, my parents treated us all to dinner Saturday night to celebrate Steve's B-day from the week before (our birthdays are 6 days apart) at Blue Koi. Presents get fewer and further apart as we get older, but the family stuff just seems that much more important.

Either/Or

2008-07-04T19:17:00.002-05:00

I got this one from Shane. This is his list, so follow his rules.

Vanilla or Chocolate? Vanilla
Dogs or Cats? Dogs
Coke or Pepsi? Coke
The Beatles or The Rolling Stones? The Beatles
Microsoft or Apple? Microsoft (don't hate me!)
Nike or Adidas? Nike
Coffee or Tea? Tea
Spider-Man or Batman? Batman
Ketchup or Mustard? Mustard
Pen or Pencil? Pen
Soup or Salad? Soup
Books or Magazines? Books
Indiana Jones or James Bond? Indiana Jones
Summer or Winter? Winter
New York City or Los Angeles? New York City
Google or Yahoo? Google
CNN or Fox News? CNN
Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune? Jeopardy
Mountains or Beach? Beach
Yoga or Pilates? Yoga
Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Wars

We are heading out soon to go see some fireworks! I hope you have had an enjoyable and safe holiday today!

Food!

2008-06-29T20:27:00.003-05:00

We went to Waldo Pizza the other night for dinner. It was so good! They have something like 4 different styles of crust to satisfy most people's desires. We have always gotten the thin crust with everything. They really load it up! It is so good, but not too good for the WW stuff. Oh well, you still have to eat, right?

I am having troubles keeping up the energy and excitement with my weight loss. I keep gaining and loosing so I'm not really getting any closer to my goal. In fact, I am a little bit further from my goal than the last time I posted about it. I still have less than 10 to go, but I don't think I will make it by my birthday unless I really step it up in the next three weeks. That seems so daunting, so I am just going to do my best and it will come off when it comes off. I am still a lot better off than where I was back in October when I started this journey. I know that the things you want most are the things you have to work for the hardest, so I just have to keep on working.

I am growing a small garden this year. I don't know if much will come from it, but it has been fun watching everything grow. I was out watering it this evening and saw my first tomato! It is exciting since this is the first time I have even tried to grow anything. I hope I get some more, but it is still early. I had some zucchini blossoms, but they have all fallen off. Does that mean I should start seeing some zukes? I am having pretty good luck with the basil and mint I planted, so I will start using them more when I cook. I don't know how to use the mint, but I love the smell of it. Maybe I'll just put it in my tea. Maybe I should start drinking tea. The watermelons aren't doing much, but I will be patient with them. They have doubled the amount of leaves since I planted them, so they are at least growing.

Back to work tomorrow, but with a holiday at the end of the week. I can't wait. I don't have anything planned, but you can always get excited about a four day week and three day weekend! Plus, the holiday is paid!

My Brilliant Daughter

2008-06-27T08:55:00.004-05:00

As you know, I think the world of Katie. She is growing into such a charming young lady. Every day she says something to make me stop and think. She is forming her own ideas of things and copying sayings and mannerisms from others. Here are a few of the fun things she has been doing recently:

-As we were watering the garden a few days ago, I accidentally got her a little wet with the hose. Nothing was done except me apologizing to her for getting her wet. We continued watering everything then went inside and she started stripping down. I told her she didn't need to change and that the water would dry. She turned around, looked at me and replied in a very exasperated tone, "But just LOOK at me!" I could not contain my laughter.

-I was tucking her in to bed last night and she asked for her "cooking dollies." I thought, "Cooking dollies? What are those?" Then I saw the Raggedy Ann doll lying on the floor. She wears an apron. Katie wears an apron when she helps me in the kitchen. COOKING DOLLIES! So I had to find the other one, the one that was from my childhood. Remarkably, the two different generations of Ann dolls looking quite the same. She was happy after that.

-I am getting glimpses into the future as how it will be getting Katie out of bed and ready for school. On the weekends, we get to sleep a little later, so Katie gets to come to our bed when she wakes up. She likes to wake up on her own so she can do this. She knows that if we wake her, there won't be any morning snuggling in bed. This morning I went to wake her and she said very calmly, "go away mom so I can wake up on my own." I went into our room and a few minutes later she comes running in all happy and smiles.

-She got a new swimming pool at Grandma's house yesterday. She was pretending to be in the ocean and the waves kept taking her away and bringing her back. Then a shark came so she bopped it on the nose and it went away. I love her imagination!

-She keeps talking about "the other Katie" and that she wants to go play at her house and have her come play at ours. Too cute! (The other Katie is Andrea's little girl that we had the pleasure to meet in Minnesota.)

Two wheels less

2008-06-24T07:19:00.003-05:00

I feel accomplished. I did what I said I was going to do. I rode my bike to work. Of course, it started raining, but it didn't really get going until I was dismounting. I feel exhilarated! I highly recommend it, if you can.

Weekend Update

2008-06-16T07:37:00.002-05:00

Isn't that the name of a show on NPR?

Katie and I had an enjoyable Saturday. Ben was off at the bowling alley all day for Coporate Challenge stuff, so it was just the girls. We started by going to my WW meeting (I lost 3.2 last week then put 1 pound back on. I don't know if I will loose the rest before my birthday or not.) and Katie was so very good. Then we got some breakfast. We wanted to go somewhere, so we collected Grandpa and headed over to Loose Park. It was so peaceful and pretty there. Katie got to feed the ducks even! There was a lady throwing out some corn for them, so Katie very politely asked if she could feed the ducks too. She is becoming such a polite little girl! She thought that was fun. Then we started meeting people walking their dogs on the same pathway. Every time we approached someone, Katie would ask to pet the dogs. I think some of the owners were surprised that a 3-year-old would ask before doing, but you never know if the dog will be aggessive or not. Thanks to Katie's asking, we avoided one dog that didn't have much dealings with little kids so we had no worries! We made our way to the playground so Katie could play. They have a very cool playground. This is one to keep in mind for a special playground trip. After we finished at the park, Grandma met us on the Plaza for lunch at Panera. Then we all headed over to the Nelson Muesem to check out the cool stuff. We had a great time all day!

Sunday we went to church and did the normal stuff. We went to Jack Stack (note to Andrea-we gave you some of their stuff in your basket) and chowed down on some fantastic BBQ to celebrate Father's Day.

All in all, it was a pretty good weekend. I hope you all had a great one!

Blog? What blog?

2008-06-12T07:08:00.003-05:00

Do you ever feel like blogging is too much of a chore? I kind of feel that way right now. I have much to post, but I just don't feel like it. I still love reading blogs, I just don't feel motivated to put forth the effort to give you something to read. So basically, you can count on a new post about once a month!

We took a trip over Memorial Day to Hastings, MN to visit Andrea and her family. She has a daughter also named Katie, so I think the girls were a little confused at first. We had such a relaxing time with Andy feeding us so very well. It is great that he had such a fun time cooking for us. I didn't have any trouble eating his offerings. I only had a little setback with the weight loss, so all is good. We visited the Mall of Americas while we were there. It was neat, but not as neat as I was expecting. Oh well. Hype doesn't always do a place good. I was able to sneak away and go to three very different yarn stores while I was there. I gravitate towards yarn stores like a bug flies to the lighted zapper. I think I need to start leaving my wallet in the car when I go to yarn stores. I found some great stuff that I am itching to try.

I seriously need to stop buying yarn. I have more than enough to get me through the next couple years. I have two projects in mind that I still need to buy for, but other than that, I need to stop! At least through the summer. We will see if I can do it.

Katie and I planted a little garden this year. Ben built two flower beds for the front of the house a couple years ago, so Katie and I filled them with Vinca this year. I also have a couple mint plants, a couple tomato plants (no worry of salmonella there!), so basil, a few watermelon plants, and one lonely zucchini. Here's hoping to a productive edible garden! My peach tree will be giving us a lot this year, if all goes well.

I am about ready to graduate from Olathe Civic Academy. This is a program that you apply for and learn about all the different areas of city government and services. It has been an interesting experience and I encourage and residents to apply for next year.

Life keeps going and I am along for the ride. I just wish there was more time to enjoy fully.

I am famous

2008-05-21T07:46:00.003-05:00

Well, in my dreams at least.

Last night I had a dream that was actually kind of fun. Before bed I was watching the finale of Dancing with the Stars. I could take or leave the show overall, but felt compelled to see who would win this time around. Shortly after, I went to sleep. I dreamt that I was a star dancer (yea, me dancing is definitely a dream!) and my partner was the too-brilliantly-white-smiled Tony Dolvolani (who knows if that is how you spell his name). Our first spin on the floor netted 3 nines! Woo hoo! I've always liked his dancing. Then, later in the dream we were hanging out with the other dancers and such and his cell phone rang. Although it looked more like on of those massager things with the balls on the ends of the arms. He answered and the call was for me! My uncle was calling to congratulate me on a great performance and I hadn't even told anyone I was doing it. Then he bought me yarn. Good times.

Do you remember your dreams? Tell me about them.

Udate

2008-04-27T07:53:00.002-05:00

I went to WW yesterday and have now lost 40.2 pounds! I have 9.2 to go to meet my goal. I will be there before my birthday in July. For my present to myself, I am going on a shopping spree because I will have a very limited wardrobe at that point!

We went to see the Royals beat the Jays last night. It was a fun time and we each got a free stadium blanket! Katie wanted to be carried at one point while she and I were out using the facilities. I could hardly carry her for any length of time. To put this into perspective, she weighs somewhere between 30 and 35 pounds. I have lost 40.2. How did I carry all that weight before? My back is hurting today because of carrying her last night.

One of the members at the meeting said that when he started, he felt fine, and was fine with his weight. It was his doctor that said he needed to get loosing. He lost 10% and is amazed at how much better he feels, even though he didn't think he felt bad. I know exactly how that is!

I'm Back!

2008-04-19T19:18:00.003-05:00

Since it's been several weeks since I last wrote, I thought it was time to get going again. Here is a run down of what I have been doing since we last met:

-Spent an entire Saturday with a relative from Houston going yarn shopping. She was in town for a conference and is a knitter, so we hit the town. We visited 6 actual stores and 1 vendor fair in which 9 companies were represented. Most were independent owners without an actual storefront, but selling very nice things for the knitter in your life. I set a budget for the day and actually was able to stick to it! I had some great finds, including the buttons for...

-my new work in progress. I played hookie from church the next day and took 2 classes at the Knitting in the Heartland event. It was a weekend of knitting classes with guest instructor, Stephanie Japel. She authored a knitting book called Fitted Knits. I took one of her classes to make a lace tank. I needed some fabulous buttons and I found them in Parkville. I also took a class to learn how to knit socks from the toe up. It is going to be great to knit socks that way.

-While I was having fun with all the soft pretty yarns, Katie was busy coming down with a nasty cold. She had a fever and cough and was just miserable. I felt so sorry for her that I was out having fun while she wasn't feeling very good. Luckily, between Ben and my parents, I knew she was well taken care of and I didn't think about her much while I was playing. Bad mom, but good for Jennifer. It was a much needed break for my soul. The only problem with such a fantastic weekend is dealing with the complete obsession afterwards. All I wanted to do was knit. Doesn't bode well for the job and family. So sleep was just a thought at times. I am seriously addicted to yarn.

-I went to two concerts in the time I was away and both were within the last week. We went to see East Village Opera Company in Lawrence last weekend. Sidna was so gracious to keep our princess and Katie loved making cookies that evening! The concert was incredible. I loved it. They take opera songs and rock them. Think Trans Siberian Orchestra. Very cool. The other concert was last night. My grandma had been watching the DVD performance of Andre Rieu for some time now. She heard that he was going to be at the Sprint Center, so she wanted to go. My dad was unavailable to take her, so I went in his place. The concert was good, but got a little monotonous with all the waltzes. But, they saved themselves in my mind by playing Carmina Burana. That piece is so intense and especially when the percussion comes in with the booming bass drum. Oh my word. It is awesome.

-During all this time, work has been crazy. I went to a conference in Topeka one day last week, I finished a major testing event for wastewater and a separate one for water within the last two weeks, we are being crunched with the budget and hiring freeze, and my co-worker is on maternity leave. I just have to take it one day at a time and go with it. It does no good to stress over the things I can't have control over. I just do my job and get it all in, somehow.

-Then, to top it off, Katie and I spent the day together. We went to get my haircut, had breakfast, went to The Studio (I had to put myself on yarn restriction), Brookside Toy and Science and then to work so I could take some samples out of the incubator. We met Ben at home and ate some lunch then headed over to the Mahaffie Farmstead to watch the border battle reenactment. It was pretty cool. It seems that each year it gets bigger and bigger with more people participating in the camps and battle. The best part for me is the cannon fire. It is loud and you can feel it. (One year Ben, dad and I went to the Celebration at the Station event over Memorial Day. They played the 1812 Overture and had canons firing in the cued spots. Dad and I went to the corner of the street under the canons to get closer to the action-they were up on a hill. When they fired, we could feel the shock wave. The sand on the street peppered us and my pant legs rippled like they would if we were in a 30 mph wind. Dad and I looked at each other and both had wide eyes. All we could say was Woa! It was awesome) Katie wasn't too excited about the volume of the cannons, but after I held her ears for the entire 30 minutes, she was ok. The first round of cannons really scared her, but she got over it pretty quickly and was content to color while I held her ears. At one point she put her stuff down, said "mommy, I'm sleepy" and snuggled in close. I couldn't have asked for anything more. She wasn't such the angel an hour later, however. She definitely still needs the nap time. Thank goodness! Mama needs a nap too!

And at that, I will wish you all a good night. It is only 8:20, but I got some good knitting books from the library, so I think I am going to get ready for bed and read those books and dream of knitting. If you ask me nice enough, I may make something for you. Just don't hold me to a deadline. Ask my family.

Postponement

2008-03-28T09:07:00.002-05:00

I am going to postpone the invitation for April 1. So, if you were planning on coming, I'm sorry! I will let you all know when I am going to update the invitation. Until then, be good to yourselves and take some time for you!

Free money and something fun

2008-03-27T12:41:00.004-05:00

Last night I participated in a music survey. I had to listen to the tags from 500 songs and tell them what I thought. It was rather reminiscent of high school taking the tests with the scantrons, but in the end I got $50! Not too bad for 90 minutes of listening.

I was reading my favourite (she's Canadian, so I had to add the u) knitblog, Yarn Harlot, and she is doing something pretty fun. Well, according to her, non-knitters would be completely confused, but it's fun to confuse them. Anyway, she is planning a book release and is having a great big release day event in Toronto, her home town. One of the things she does is to pose a knitted sock-in-progress in front of famous things and people. She'll hold it out in front of her so that it is in the photo then snap the picture. Yea, non-knitters don't understand. But that isn't the potentially fun part. She is challenging all the knitters in Toronto to have a sock photo scavenger hunt. If you didn't catch it, that was the fun part.

I know you may not want to, but go read this post and check out what she is having people do. It sounds like fun doing a scavenger hunt. I remember doing them as a jr. at church a long time ago. We had several different teams and a list of clues. There were points awarded for the first team to find the clue, first team back, etc. I had so much fun doing that! I think we can come up with some kind of photo hunt as a young adult activity. We could get really crazy with some of the searches!

April Fool's Day and 20%

2008-03-16T16:53:00.003-05:00

I have two things for today.

#1. I am inviting anyone who wants to come over on April 1 to join me for some fun crafting time. Bring whatever you want to work on, even if you want to learn something new. We'll sit and do our thing and talk and have fun and drink tea and have fun and maybe have some chocolate and ... oh yea, have fun. We have a dog, so if the allergies are an issue, take your medicine! :)

#2. It isn't quite official by the WW standards, but I am pretty sure that I have now lost 20% of my starting body weight. If not, it's pretty darn close and I am super excited. I am down three, maybe four clothing sizes. I think when I started, I should have been a bigger size than what I was wearing, but I just couldn't bring myself to go to that next size. I needed to wash the jeans last night and put on a pair of the original size since my parents were over and I wanted to be presentable. I could take them off without unbuttoning them.

Have a great rest of the day!

100!

2008-03-10T12:43:00.001-05:00

After two years-almost of blogging, this is my 100th post!

Did you know that I finished my sweater? Did you know I wore it to church while it was still a little bit damp? Did you know that I sewed on the buttons early Sunday morning just so I could wear it? Did you know that I am super duper excited about it? Did you know that I completely love it?

Well, did you?

Lightbulb moment

2008-03-05T13:07:00.002-06:00

So you know how I love to knit and crochet, but mostly knit, to wind down? Well, I want some knitting buddies. I am thinking about starting a crafty club or something. What I am thinking is getting a bunch of people together that want to do hand crafts at someone's home and sit and craft and talk. I think it would be fun to get together once a month (every two weeks?) and catch up on each other's lives and enable each other to do your craft of choice. I know a lot of people that knit, crochet, quilt, sew, etc. The problem is, where do I start? I guess that question is already answered. I'm starting right here! So, I need to figure out a day and set it up, right? I'm looking at this as something anyone can come to, experienced or not. I know two crafts and love to bring more people into the habbit. You game?

For Laura

2008-03-05T07:02:00.003-06:00

Since I haven't responded to your request for answers, I will give you your very own post!

I am friends with you because I like you! I don't really have any specific reason, that's just how it is.

I associate you with green nail polish. While at GC, you would sit in front of my during band and I always noticed your green or blue nail polish. I haven't seen it on you for a few years now, but you will be forever the one with the green polish. I think I tried wearing it a couple times because I saw you wearing it. It made me feel funny having green fingers.

I like the way you play the piano. When you play at church, it stirs up the feelings of wanting to start playing again and try to get a little better. Then reality kicks in and I realize how horribly out of tune my piano is. Maybe I should do something about that?

My memory of you was when you and Steve announced to the congregation that you were expecting Reece. You looked so happy! You were showing off your then non-existant baby bump. So cool.

What I want to know: Do you think you will ever go back to main-stream teaching, or will you be a Kindermusik teacher for the rest of your career?

2008-02-27T12:49:00.003-06:00

The friendship questions are fun! I have enjoyed writing about everyon that has commented. The original post is getting too long, but you can still play!

Comment on this entry, and I will:

Tell you why I am friends with you.
Associate you with something - fandom, a song, a color, a photo, a word etc.
Tell you something I like about you.
Tell you a memory I have of you.
Ask something I’ve always wanted to know about you.
In return, you must post this to your own journal/blog.

So far, Shane, Andrea, Alli and Jackie have commented and I wrote it up on the post below this one. I am using this current post to catch up anything else that comes in.

To answer Shane's question:

I got into science during high school. Originally, I planned on going into Chemistry because that was what the boy I liked was doing. I know, lame. But, it was high school after all. So I took a chemistry class to fulfill my requirement for graduation. I liked it. I liked it so well that I took another one the following year. I liked all the math that was involved. I liked that what we learned had a finite answer. It could only be one thing, not like the interpretation that goes on in English. The second chemistry class I took was even better. It was all about reactions and stuff. I don't remember all of it, but we did a lab that took about the last two months of school that had me completely hooked. It was all about testing the knowns to see what happens and then using that information to figure out what the unknowns were. Plus, it was a lot of color change and I love color. I knew that that was what I was going to do when I grew up. I thought at first I would go into pharmacueticals, but there was the whole research thing that got me hung up. I wanted fintie results. So I started in failure analysis (what made this chip/break/what is it? kind of thing.) It was ok, but now what I was looking for. Then I discovered environmental chemistry and I love it. I am currently working as the Chemist in our municiple water department. It is a great fit for me!

Because all the cool kids are doing it

2008-02-25T20:16:00.005-06:00

Comment on this entry, and I will:

Tell you why I am friends with you.
Associate you with something - fandom, a song, a color, a photo, a word etc.
Tell you something I like about you.
Tell you a memory I have of you.
Ask something I’ve always wanted to know about you.
In return, you must post this to your own journal/blog.

I just found this little ditty on Alli's and Rachel's blogs and thought it was pretty fun. Leave a comment and I'll tell you what I think.

Shane:

Okay, I'm going to be honest, so don't hate me! Actually, it isn't that bad.

I don't remember not knowing you. I do remember not liking you. I think it had to do with your volleyball team. There were only 2 people on that team that even would talk to me and you weren't one of them. But, with age comes maturity and I definitely did some growing up and realized that you weren't so bad after all. I think I really started considering you a friend when I started this blog and you were the first one to comment.

I associate you with Chipotle and Mac. Nuf said.

Something I like about you is your passion for life. You always go at everything you do with gusto and don't hold anything back. You aren't afraid to take risks. After all, who else would focus one of their first sermons on Bill and Ted?

A memory I have of you goes way back. I don't remember which summer it was, but I think it was most likely Jr. High camp. Shandra was the director or campfire leader or something and taught us a song with a dog in it. I think. Anyway, the memory is of you and the other guys from Olathe doing a dance that you made up to this song and the dance involved the action of a dog relieving itself in the middle of the common room at Chihowa. Obviously, to a jr. high boy, it was the coolest thing. I don't even know if I am remembering it correctly.

Something I am wondering about, a two-parter : Did you know you would end up back "home"after college? And, did your career lead you here, or did you find your career after choosing where to land? So maybe that was three, but it is still the same line of thought.

Andrea:

You and I met at Graceland. I don't have much memory of you before our senior year, but we lived down the hall from each other that last year. I was so excited when you found me recently and we have been able to reconnect! And because I didn't try getting to know you until then, I feel like I've missed out!

I associate you with the color blue. I don't really know why, just do.

I like that you always kept your door open and I could stop by any time to say hi and chat for a bit.

A memory I have of you is the first time I unplugged your vaccuum from the hall. The look on your face was priceless. You couldn't figure out why it stopped working all of a sudden!

When you met Andy, did you know he was the one you were going to marry? Was it difficult with living with his military career? (Sorry, that was two questions again. I just can't ask just one!)

Alli:

I am friends with you because you are friendly. You are a warm inviting person and I am drawn to our friendship.

I associate you with painting. I thought your artshow was incredible. I get excited when someone I know has something on display for all the world to know and I can honestly say that I know them! Also, Katie still loves the mural in her Sunday school room.

Something I like about you is your sense of style. You aren't afraid to wear your hair in a new style and your clothes and accessories always look so fun and well put together. I think I need some pointers!

A memory I have of you involved the same evening of the memory you shared of me. I came to pick Katie up and you were with her half asleep yourself, willing her to sleep in the guest room but you had a smile on your face and looked like you honestly had a great time with her that evening. She still talks about going to your house and wanting to see Dreyfus. Thank you!

And now for the question: What made you decide to become a vegetarian?

Jackie:

I haven't known you very long, but I still consider you my friend. So, I guess friendship by proximity?

I associate you with PINK and fabulousness.

I like your demeanor. Every time I see you, even if you are having a bad day, you always have a sense of calm surrounding you. You are very patient and don't get visibly frustrated. I admire that because sometimes I just can't keep my cool no matter how much I want to.

A memory I have of you is how dedicated and enthusiastic you were about decorating for VBS. The church looked great and I know you worked so very hard on it.

A question for you: Did you always know you were going to be a teacher? What would you have been if not a teacher?

Answer to Alli's question:

My first date with Ben was interesting. We had only been at Graceland for a couple weeks. My neighbor and his best friend set us up on a blind date. We went to the Wednesday night movie to see "Before Sunrise". I think that was the name anyway, it was about two people traveling on a train, I think. Anyway, since my other neighbor was dating Chris (Ben's friend) at the time, we did a double date. We rode in Chris's truck so Ben and I rode in the covered bed. That was weird for me in itself because I never went anywhere without wearing a seat belt. The night was pretty stormy with a lot of wind. I don't remember rain, but I know that something was going on because the movie kept flickering then finally just went out. I think we only saw about 20 minutes of the movie before we left. There were bats flying all around and we were sitting in the balcony. I didn't like it. They ended up taking us girls home and I was commisserating with my friend about the date. She and Chris didn't last much longer than that movie. We discovered that Ben and I had several classes together so we became a permanent lunch friend for each other. I started dating someone else and was with him for most of the time I was at GC. This someone else went with me to Des Moines to buy a dress for New Year's in November knowing that he wasn't going to make it to the event. He let me buy a dress and everything before he told me he wasn't going. So, I learned that Ben was stood up too so I invited him to come with me. That was our second date. I didn't have much fun then either. I finally broke up with the other guy and Ben was the first person I called outside of my family and roommate to tell that I broke up with him. Ben was so sweet and came over that evening and we just hung out as friends. Little did I know then that he had liked me ever since that first date as Freshmen. BTW, this is now the summer before Sr. year. We hung out all summer with me still being clueless to his ideas. When we got back to school in the fall, he asked me to go to the Wed movie again and this time it stuck. We saw one of the James Bond movies. He did the classic stretch and put your arm around the girl move during one of the last action sequences. We walked home that night and he picked a wild blue flower for me. I think I still have the flower somewhere. He didn't kiss me that night, but the rest is history. Remind me to tell you the story about my dream.

I've lost a Katie!

2008-02-23T17:08:00.002-06:00

I weighed in this morning and have now lost a total of 32 pounds. I have lost the entire weight of my Katie. I still carry her around sometimes and am constantly aware of how much she weighs. It feels like a lot! So, since October, I have taken that much weight off of me!

I feel so empowered. I feel like I can do anything. I want to share with you a visual that my leader shared with us this morning. She asked for someone to come up and stand with their arms straight out to the side, like a wingspan. Then she had the volunteer verbally say "I can" over and over while she was pressing down on an arm. The volunteer was to keep the arm up and not let it fall. Then she repeated with the verbalization of "I can't." She used the same pressure and the arm went down. It all depends on the attitude. If you say you can, you can. If you say you can't, you can't. There is a quote that I hear when going to my meetings. I hope I get it right. "If you think you can or you think you can't, you are right." It depends on attitude. I have used this in more areas of my life than just weight loss. As my mom always told me growing up, "you can do whatever you set your mind to."

I am getting closer by the day to my goal. I don't have a number yet, but I know that I am getting closer. This is such a great feeling!

I'm glad that's over

2008-02-23T16:31:00.002-06:00

I meant to write earlier since Katie celebrated her 3rd birthday last Sunday, but didn't because I had her in my arms all day. Last Saturday she woke up and was so dizzy that she couldn't sit up without throwing up. She couldn't walk at all because she kept falling down. Poor thing couldn't keep anything down until about noon that day. We, well I, was ready to take her to the hospital, but was convinced to wait a couple more hours to see if she could keep anything down. Luckily, she started drinking and eating again so we didn't have to go there.

Needless to say, we had to postpone her Princess birthday party that was scheduled for the next day. We decided to give her the presents so she would have something to open on her birthday and she loved it! I found a princess cell phone that has gone everywhere with her this week. Every once in a while I still get "Thank you for giving me this, mama!" She is too sweet for words!

I cannot believe what a special little girl we have. She is ornery as I'll get out but the sweetest little thing at the same time. She has such enthusiasm for life that it is infecting. We are having issues with temper tantrums and whining, but aside from that, she generally is a good girl. She loves to talk on the phone with anyone, espcially grandma or grandpa. She even calls the princesses on her new cell phone. She always wants to take either oranges or marshmallows to share with her friends at daycare. I could go on and on.

She is still at the top of the charts for height. We recently went to dinner and she made friends with a little boy that was about 5 months older than her. I think she had 2 inches on him. She has within the last month figured out the whole potty thing and has only had one semi-accident since she started wearing "big girl panties." Her eyes seem to be getting bigger and bluer, if that is possible. Her new favorite game is "I Spy."

Mommy and daddy love you Katie bug!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T10:57:00.002-06:00

I don't really care for this "holiday" in general, but I celebrate anyway. I love my family and they know I love them, so why do I need a day just to tell them that?

When I woke Katie up this morning, I reminded her that today was Valentine's Day. She looked up at me and said in her sweet little voice, "Happy Valentine Day, mama!" Then she couldn't wait for Ben to get out of the shower so she could wish him a happy day too. What a sweetheart she is.

I was surprised this morning with a delivery of a dozen beautiful roses from my darling husband. Thank you, Ben! I love you!

We are staying in tonight and I am cooking a meal for the three of us. Charlie may even get something special tonight too.

However you choose to go about this day, I hope you are able to spend it with those you love.

Yummy

2008-01-30T07:18:00.000-06:00

Last night I wanted chicken for dinner. So Katie and I went to the store and got a few things plus a rotisserie chicken. I saw the asparagus sitting there too and thought that might make a good meal. So, I steamed the asparagus and drizzled it with olive oil and salt and pepper. It was delicious! The stalks were so tender and yummy. It's too bad that we ate all of it last night. No leftovers. I guess that means I need to get more!

I became completely obsessed with a project over the weekend. I found a pattern for a knit jacket that I really like so I started working on it Friday or Saturday, I can't remember and have already finished 1 ball of 7 of the yarn I chose. I hope to have it finished before the cold is completely done so I can wear it this year! It is all that I can think about. I wish I didn't have to work so I could work on it all day long!

2008-01-13T07:35:00.000-06:00

It is quiet in my house. Charlie and I are the only ones awake. Well, Ben may be awake now because Charlie just barked at him to go outside, but it is quiet none-the-less. I like the peaceful time when I am awake and no one else is. It's too bad that the reason I am awake is that I couldn't sleep!

I was able to finish Katie's sweater or shrug or whatever you want to call it, but I don't know if it fits right. I may need to get some help to see what I can do about it. It looks cute, but she is absolutely refusing to wear it. I asked her last night why she doesn't like it, and she said the colors are "just awful". Her words, not mine. It made me a little sad. Hopefully she will come around.

I now have a little girl sitting on my lap so I guess it is time to get going and get ready for church. It's just a typical Sunday morning.

Edited to add: I am not above bribary to get Katie to wear what I want. Good thing it only takes her being able to turn on the fan!

I'm sorry

2008-01-09T07:24:00.001-06:00

I am sorry I left that other post at the top for so long. I'm not one to usually talk about bathroom habits, but for some strange reason I felt that I needed to post that one. I think it was the title. I am a sucker for rhymes.

I am in the midst of two knitting projects. One is for Ben and one is for Katie. I still need to get a a final measurement from Ben, but the one for Katie is shaping up very nicely. I need to go in for some help this week, but the project should be done by this weekend! I am excited about it. Hopefully it will make it's debut on Sunday.

Number 2 in the loo

2008-01-04T11:36:00.000-06:00

This is more for my sake than yours. We are working on potty training and are starting to have some success. Last night we passed a milestone. I won't go into details, but Katie is the sweetest girl around.

After much cheering and encouragement, she replied "It makes you happy, mommy." Yes, sweetheart, it sure does.

I'm beat

2008-01-03T09:39:00.001-06:00

I don't like having to go back to work after having a nice long holiday. I was able to take 4 days of vacation and was off for a total of 11. You just can't beat that. It is so hard to get back into the swing of things and I am tired.

We had such a great time over the Christmas holiday. We spent lots of time together which is both good and bad at the same time. Personal time is non-existant when the whole family is together for so long, but it was nice to have everyone together for so long. We got to spend time with every family member living in the KC area at one point during the holidays. Of course Katie loved all the attention. We got to spend time playing cards 3 evenings into the morning with Steve and Nicole, something we don't do enough of. We ate out way too much, but we all survived.

My hopes for this year are simple: I hope for a happy and healthy year. We did pretty good in 2007, but here's to a better 2008!

20.2

2007-12-29T11:12:00.000-06:00

What does 20.2 mean? I could mean lots of things, but to me it means that as of today I am 20.2 pounds closer to better health.

In October, I somewhat reluctantly joined Weight Watchers. I say reluctantly because I didn't know if I was ready to make that committment at the time. It was something that was very daunting to me. But, two people very close to me joined and dragged me with them. I was kind of going along at first, but after posting a weight loss the very first week, I was hooked and knew that I could do it.

I knew I was overweight and actually considered obese. Wait a minute, was that obese? Yes, I always just considered myself overweight, but if you use my numbers in the BMI calculators, I was obese. Yikes. This is coming from the girl that was always the skinniest and always ate anything and everything in sight and never gained an ounce. But, the truth was in the scale and my increasing clothing sizes.

So, I started my weightloss journey and trek to better health in October. Since then I have lost over 10% of my starting body weight, over 20 pounds, and am very close to being able to say that I have lost 2 sizes. Now that's some impressive math.

So now that I have put some of my numbers out there, I have to live up to them. I still have quite a way to go, but I am going in the right direction. I don't know how much I need to continue to loose. I don't really want to know. At this point, I will keep following my plan and take it off 1 pound at a time. When I get closer to the end I will set a goal. I think if I set it now, I will be too focused on the number on the scale rather than my overall health.

It is amazing what a 20 pound loss can do for a person. I feel stronger, quicker, lighter. I can play with Katie and not feel like colapsing afterward. I haven't had any unexplained heart palpitations for 2 months. I feel great!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

2007-12-25T19:16:00.000-06:00

I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas this year. The day is ending and I am fading fast. Ben, Katie and I hosted BOTH families together this year. We had 13 people crammed into my small kitchen for lunch and it was wonderful. Stangely enough, I did not feel stressed about hosting. Normally I would have been running around crazy and not stopping to enjoy this season, but I was able to feel peace and everything went smoothly. I adopted the whatever happens, happens policy this time around. I think I need to stick to that one.

In the past I have always felt apprehensive about including our families together. I'm glad I decided to go for it because it meant so much for Katie to have everyone here. She loves having her friends and family close by. I always feel torn as a hostess to make sure everyone is having a good time and not feeling left out or anything. I let them all fend for themselves and no one got hurt!

Katie is opening the invitation for anyone to "come to my house" so she can cook for you with her new kitchen. She will even work for you using her new toolset. But she won't let you forget her new baby, Jill, and Jill's "stolder" to ride in. Santa was good to her.

I hope you all continue to enjoy this time with family and friends and are safe in you travels.

Good night.

What is that?

2007-12-13T10:15:00.000-06:00

There is some strange light coming into my window. I don't know what it is! Oh wait, I think I remember. It's been awhile, but I think it is SUNSHINE!

I don't mind the winter. I like the snow and the ice is pretty, but I miss having continuous days of sun! I often joke that I am solar powered, but I really do feel better emotionally when the sun is shining.

If you can, curl up in the sun for me and soak it in!

2007-12-05T07:20:00.000-06:00

Don't trust when your two-year-old calls out from the next room, "I'm not doing nothing, mommy!"

No harm done, just using the water sprayer for ironing. On her hair. On her shirt. She was wet when I got to her. She is quick!

Reality Junkie

2007-11-28T07:13:00.000-06:00

I admit it. I watch too much reality TV. There, I said it. Over the course of the fall programming, I have watched almost every episode of two shows: Dancing With the Stars and (don't make fun of me, I can't believe I was even sucked into this awful show...) The Bachelor. Here are my two cents about the shows.

I am so happy that Helio won! I liked him from the very beginning. He was so much fun to watch with his cute smile and easy going personality. Plus, he is a great dancer! I can't believe that Marie lasted as long as she did. I was rooting for her to be off in week 3 or 4. I guess I can't complain about it too much though since I never voted.

Now, The Bachelor. The premise behind this show is bothersome. You take a guy (or gal, depending on which season it is) and give him 25 women to get to know and choose as his life-long marriage partner. Oh, and you only have 6 weeks to make that decision. Granted, some people know without a doubt when they meet that they were destined for each other, but not a lot of people can do this and make it stick. So you have all of these women vying for the same guy knowing that he is basically dating everyone at the same time. I don't think I would like my "boyfriend" kissing all the girls!

Anyway, I don't like the premise of the show, so why did I watch it? Oh yea, it wasn't CSI Miami (we don't have cable and 41 doesn't come in well). So I got sucked in and watched each week wondering who he would pick. The final episode came with the final choice and he didn't choose anyone! Congratulations to the bachelor for making a brave decision. He knew that he couldn't make a lifelong committment to either of the finalists, so he sent them both packing. I really admire that about him. I was watching the tail end of Ellen yesterday after work and she was calling this guy a jerk for not choosing her next guest. Well, I don't agree. Yea, the show wants the person to choose a mate and get engaged on the show, yadda yadda. Well, as we can see from past seasons, only 2 have even remotely stuck with one couple still engaged and one married with a baby. Why can't people respect him for his decision? At least he knew that he couldn't make it work and didn't complete the engagement just for the sake of it.

I am leaving my soap box now.

My Star Performer

2007-11-16T07:11:00.000-06:00

Last evening Katie was singing to herself so I asked her to sing "Bingo" for me. She gladly sang her favorite song. As she finished, so looked at me and slowly bowed at the waist for a complete performance bow. I started laughing and could not stop. It was just too cute for words. She was so proud of herself!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T12:17:00.000-05:00

I know that half of my readership does not like the holiday, but it has been fun leading up to today. ;)

Last year I found a great deal on two costumes for Katie, a kangaroo and a giraffe. She was the kangaroo last year so I thought that she would be the giraffe this time around. Katie had other plans. A couple weeks ago Grandma asked what she was going to be for Halloween and she replied "a very very very scary ghost!" Well, then, that settles it. Katie is her own person with her own ideas so ok. I asked her a couple days later what she wanted to be and she was still saying she wanted to be a ghostie. Ghostie it is my love.

I bought some white fleece and made a poncho that goes down below her knees. I am pretty proud of it because I wasn't following a pattern, just eyeballing it from an existing poncho. I found some glow-in-the-dark fabric spray paint and sprayed the heck out of it. Hopefully we can get it charged enough that the full effect will be seen. Depending on how she handles it, she will even have makeup for tonight.

I don't remember if I wrote about this or not, but we changed Katie's daycare at the beginning of September. Things are working out very well. It's an in home daycare with a few kids her age. They do a preschool program and she keeps coming home with new artwork. I love it! Last week they painted pumpkins for the porch. This week they made ghosts and spiders. Katie is having such a good time with all of the lead up to tonight.

When she woke up this morning, I asked her if she knew what day it was. She thought for a moment the yelled "TRICK OR TREAT!" She is my treat.

New Do

2007-10-07T14:25:00.000-05:00

So, I don't know if you noticed or not, but Katie and I both had haircuts this weekend! The girls are both sporting shorter hair. I decided Saturday morning that I would try to get us in to get sheared somewhere THAT DAY! I know, it's crazy just taking what you get, but that's the state I was in. I don't have a regular person to cut my hair since the lady I was going to before and while pregnant upped her prices to $45 a cut, I had to stop going to her. So I had been hopping around at Beauty Brands looking for someone new. After all, that is how I found my last gal and then followed her to a different salon when she moved. So, I usually call one of the two close-by BB, but no one could take us that day.

So I decided to call The Hairem over by Zio's. I didn't know anything about them, but they were able to take Katie and me in 20 minutes! We quickly got Katie dressed and she and I went over to get pampered.

The lady that helped us was great. I have found a new stylist! She cut Katie first and Katie was so good. She didn't cry at all, stayed absolutely still while she was cutting and was just being a perfect angel. I was one proud mama!

Then it was my turn. I think she spent about 10 minutes shampooing my hair. It was wonderful. She gave me a great cut and was very careful to make sure it was all even. When we were all done, she rang us up and said it would be $36 for both of us! Wow! We got such a great deal! I didn't know how much it was going to be before we started, but I feel like we got more than our money's worth from her. Maybe I'll get my hair cut more often now! :)

So, when we left, my hair looked great. I was so happy with it. But, when I tried to do it myself, I wasn't very happy with it. Why is it that it never looks as good when I do it, even if I try really hard? I still love the cut, but I need to figure out how to style it. Any suggestions? I am all ears.

Too much of a good thing?

2007-09-27T11:05:00.000-05:00

I enjoy Dancing With the Stars as much as the next person, but do we really need three evenings and 4 hours worth of it as the season premeire? I think they could have easily included everyone with their pre-show rehersals and bios and such neatly into two hours and cut the results show to 1/2 hour. All of the silly little commentaries can go, in my opinion. I like watching for the dancing. Show more of that! Also, don't go to commercial after every little thing. On the flip side, I was able to switch and catch most of the good parts of some other shows while I was waiting for the good stuff. My current favorites: Helio and Jane.

Remember me?

2007-09-10T14:43:00.000-05:00

Yea, it's been a long time, yadda, yadda.

Anyway, here are some highlights from the summer. I think if I just give the big stuff, I can get back into blogging again.

May 20 was 7 years for us.
July 22 was 30 years for me.

For our anniversary, we went to Peirponts at Union Station. The food was good, although I didn't realize how out of practice we are when it is just the two of us. We've been a family of three for 2 1/2 years now that it is hard to converse without talking of Katie. Maybe we should go on more dates!

I celebrated my 30th birthday with my family doing what I wanted to do. My husband, daughter and parents were patient enough and willing enough to drive me around to 5 different yarn shops. We started in Louisburg and ended up in Parkville. It was such a fun day! We went to breakfast in the morning and then started shopping. It was great and I got a lot of great yarns to create with. I found a lovely charcoal gray alpaca yarn that is so soft I just want to pet it all day. I think that was my favorite find from the day. The next day we added the rest of the gang and had dinner at The Bonefish Grill. Yummy!! The food and service were excellent but Katie wasn't having much of it. She was bored. We went to the bathroom on her request no less than 8 times during the meal. Only 2 of the times were successful. Mama was not pleased.

We got to Powell Gardens to see the butterfly exhibit again this year. This is the third year in a row that we have gone. It was quite hot, but we had a good time. Katie was enjoying looking at all the pretty colors of the butterflies on the flowers. If you ever get the chance to go, be sure to take it.

We celebrated Labor Day by cooking breakfast at the park. It was a good time until the allergies go the best of the medicine.

We are headed to Wichita on Friday for the weekend. My favorite knitting author is giving a talk/reading of her latest book at one of the high schools there. 3.5 hours in the car to get there-no problem!

So, if you don't hear anything from me for awhile, give me a holler and tell me to get busy!

Putting on my nakeup

2007-04-14T16:39:00.000-05:00

I was relaxing after work yesterday while Katie was playing. She was gone from my sight just a little too long so I went to investigate. She met me in the doorway with my eyeliner in her hand and black streaks on her face.

"Katie, what are you doing?"
"Putting on my nakeup."

I couldn't help but laugh. I could have gotten upset, but she was just too darn cute about it and I realized that no one was hurt and even in my makeup was messed up I can always get more. I love moments like this where she is just doing what she sees me doing. They say that imitation is the best form of flattery, right?

This One's For the Girls

2007-04-13T13:17:00.000-05:00

Actually, this one was for me and my date.

When I was little, my dad would take me on "date night." We usually would go to dinner then some kind of live show, most often the symphony. I would always wear my best dress and he made me feel like a princess.

Our date nights got to be fewer and less frequent as I went to college, got married, had a baby, etc. There were always other people wanting my time and attention. The last date we had was before I was pregnant with Katie. Sure, we would often have lunch together, especially when we worked close together in Lenexa. Then I changed jobs and Olathe to Lenexa got to be more of a challenge to coordinate. We are both working in Olathe now so since I've been at this job and he's been at his, we've had lunch together several times. Sometimes even with Katie! But, lunches just aren't the same as date night.

Tuesday Sarah called and asked me "do you like Martina McBride?" I immediately said "YES!" She had two tickets for the concert THURSDAY NIGHT!!! Did I want them? I told her yes, but let me work out some things before I completely commit.

So, after a few phone calls, I arranged for Steve to come watch Katie (Ben and Mom were both in class) and I had a date night scheduled!

My dad took me to The Majestic Steakhouse in downtown KC. I think that was probably the best steak I have ever eaten. It's up at the top for sure. As an added treat, there was live jazz while we were eating. So much fun!

We got to the concert about 15 minutes before it was scheduled to start so we found our seats and sat back to enjoy the show. Rodney Atkins came on and peformed for 30 minutes. Fifteen minutes later, Little Big Town came on and played for 30 minutes. Martina McBride came on at 9:00 singing one of my absolute favorites of her's.

I don't follow the names of songs or artists very well, but I can pick out ones that she sings because I like her music so much. Her songs have such a good meaning behind the lyrics. Plus, her voice is so incredibly beautiful.

Dad dropped me off about 11:15 which is two hours past my bedtime. I was so keyed up from the great concert that it was hard to fall asleep. I think I got about 5 hours of sleep that night, but it was all worth it.

I can't wait until we get another date night.

2007-04-04T14:22:00.000-05:00

I am wearing my "Oscar Socks" today. These are the ones I was working on while watching the Oscars at Shane and Alli's home. They are super soft and warm. I am loving them very much.

I realized that I went for the whole month of March without posting. Oops.

Here's a brief run-down of what's been happening:

--World Conference and wishing that Katie would sit through church
--Children's Peace Pavillion at the Auditorium (a huge hit)
--dinner with the extended family
--lots of knitting
--lots of sliding and playing
--City sponsored Easter Egg Hunt
--seeing my old choir teacher from jr. high AND her remembering exactly who I was
--two-year-old life and drama
--preparing for Easter service at church

I think I'm just lazy and that's why I haven't posted. I know I'm lazy and that's why you never get any pictures. Maybe some day....

Oscar Night

2007-02-26T08:16:00.000-06:00

We had a fun time at Shane and Alli's last night for the 2nd Annual Oscar Celebration (Is that what you called it?). We had lots of goodies to eat and friends to talk to. I don't know much about movies, but now I look forward to the Oscars to get together with friends. Of course, I couldn't just sit and watch TV, so I was knitting a sock. I love the yarn! It is so soft and I can't wait to have a pair.

Too bad we had to leave early to get little miss from grandma and grandpa's house. When we got there, it was after 9:00 and she was sitting on grandpa's lap pushing buttons on the "compooter." We walked in and she looked at me like she'd been caught doing something. It was quite funny.

Thank you for having us! How badly did I do with my predictions?

Happy Birthday Baby!

2007-02-17T10:12:00.000-06:00

Today Katie is two. What a time we have had. Katie is the joy of my life. I cannot believe how special she is to me. Words cannot explain it.

Things I love about Katie:

Her smile.
Her laugh.
Her hugs and "nacker" kisses (kisses with the sound).
Her quest for understanding.
Her eyes.
Her excitment.
Her friendliness.
Her sweetness.
The way she poses and says "so cute" when I finish with her hair and tell her to let me see how cute she looks.
The way she stops whatever she is doing and runs to the door as soon as she hears Ben's key turning in the lock.
The way she greets me when I pick her up.
The way she looks up at me and says "good morning!"
Her love of life.
The way she looks in overalls.
The way she lights up when she sees her Grandparents.
The way she says "go get Grandma K" when we are even remotely close to her apartment.
The way she talks on the phone.
The way she helps me to put on her lotion.
The way she cuddles into you when she is tired.
That we can hold a true conversation.
The way she gets so excited when she sees the moon and stars.
Her memory.
Everything.

Katie is such a special person to me. I truly consider her to be God's gift to us. She lights up my life!

Happy Birthday Baby!

2007-02-12T15:14:00.000-06:00

My massage is on hold til later (yes, Massage Envy). Katie is going in for her first haircut this evening. This is a long time in coming. Goodbye baby, hello big girl. sniff...

2007-02-12T13:44:00.000-06:00

This past weekend was our congregational retreat. It was a very laid back time for everyone to get together and "just be." The three of us had a good time. Katie even slept! I didn't get a whole lot of sleep, but I knew it would be that way. Crazily enough, I think I felt about as rested during the weekend than I do during the regular week. Shows you how little sleep I actually get in a night and am able to function on. Sure, I'd like more, but I don't see that happening any time soon. Oh well, just have to make the best of things!

Anyway, back to the retreat. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about the classes because I was knitting and checking on Katie in the nursery. I know, I shouldn't have been knitting and should have been focusing, but it was really good to sit and work on my sweater. That in itsself somewhat rejuvinated me. In the afternoon, we were able to do some scrapbooking stuff. Michelle brought a lot of things for us to use. It was very generous of her to share so many materials. I made a journal. We used the pre-bound composition notebooks and covered them with pretty papers and stuff. That was a lot of fun. Then Katie and I made a little journal for her using the fun-foam stickers. I think she enjoyed it, but wanted to get down and play. Oh well, she and I got to do a craft together. I will have to keep thinking along those lines and do stuff like that more often with her.

My hips are so sore from the beds. I think I am going to get a massage this evening, if they have any openings. We received a coupon in the mail this week for a 60 min massage for $39. Sounds like a good deal to me!

I know that different people take away different things from weekends like this, so I don't feel too guilty for not completely paying attention. What I needed from the weekend was a little time to be crafty and I got that. So, that made it worthwhile!

We tried to keep Katie awake on the way home and mostly succeeded. She fell asleep about Eudora. Luckily, we got her into bed and she slept for 3 hours! We decided to wake her up so she would sleep well at night too. So, I put her to bed about normal time and had to wake her up this morning. Good thing she slept! I don't sleep in the same room as her normally so I didn't realize how much noise she makes in the night. She will talk, wimper, and laugh through the course of a night. Plus, she snores. I knew she did, but didn't know how much till this weekend. Poor kid didn't stand a chance coming from my family.

Start, rip, repeat

2007-02-05T10:43:00.000-06:00

For Christmas Ben gave me a gift certificate to Knit Wit in Olathe. He knows how I love yarn, so it was the perfect gift. No worries on his part for picking something I wouldn't like. If I pick something I don't like, it's completely my fault. So, I went to the store the day after Christmas armed with my "free" money ready to do some damage. They have a sale each year this time, so all the yarn was at least 30% off. Can't beat that!

So, knowing I only had 1 hour to look and make my pruchases, I went in with a purpose. I am going to knit myself a sweater and I need 7 skeins of this yarn so go pick a color! I lucked out and they had all 7 in one dyelot so I won't have any issues with the color. I even found some sock yarn that would coordinate beautifully. Plus some other stuff, but that isn't important now, is it?

I got brave a made a swatch. Hmm. Doesn't seem like the finished product will be the right size. Oh well, I can make the adjustments when I'm done knitting and it is on the blocking board. Did I ever tell you I can be delusional at times?

Knit, knit, knit away on the pretty blue sweater. Hmm. Doesn't seem like it will fit. That's ok, I'll keep going. Two inches really is too early to tell.

Knit, knit, knit. Ok, after 8 inches I finally get the idea that IT REALLY WON'T FIT! So, I frog it (knitting lingo for a do-over; you rip it)

So, I started over. This time I think it will be a good size and all is right with the world. Wait a minute, something doesn't seem right. What's going on? What? 111 stitches? I was sure there were 110?!?! Back to the frog pond.

Third time's a charm, right? WRONG!

Moral of the story, if it seems wrong at first, it probably is. Moral #2, counting is a good thing. Moral #3, don't try to knit a new project that involves concentration when Keith is in the same room.

2007-01-26T08:05:00.000-06:00

Dear Katie,

My sweet darling child, is it fun talking to your animals in the dark, at 4 am, on a day I need to work? I'm sure you are just telling them all about your dreams and such, but it really can wait until later. Also, it doesn't have to happen 2 out of 5 work days either. I know I am asking a lot, but please give this matter some attention. When you hold your conversations this close to the 5:30 alarm, it makes work real hard. You know, if you could just wait until then to hold your conversations, I wouldn't have to wake you up. It's a win-win situation.

Love,
Your sleep deprived Mama

More to the update

2007-01-25T15:11:00.000-06:00

I wanted to publish the last one so I wouldn't suddenly lose anything.

Earlier this month I gave my first presentation for work--Water Quality Monitoring in the Distribution System. I was kind of nervous, but I got through it and my audience was receptive and asked a lot of questions. It's good to get one under my belt. As I got more into the presentation, I started finding my rhythm and was more comfortable. I was worried I wouldn't know what I was talking about, but I fooled everyone! Ha ha. I knew what I was talking about and it felt good. I kind of had an out-of-body experience when I started listening to what I was saying. Who knew I knew all that? Sometimes it just seems like I'm going on and doing the same thing day in and day out, but I really do know my stuff. It is a satisfying feeling.

Other than that, things have just been pretty normal and not too exciting around here.

Long Time No Post (started 1/3/07)

2007-01-03T14:20:00.000-06:00

Well, the holidays are over and life is getting back to normal. We had a great holiday season. Well, I did anyway! It was especially great once Katie was better.

Christmas Eve we hosted Ben's family. Some of them made it for church and the others made it for a late lunch. Katie didn't know what to think of all the people in her house, but finally started warming up to everyone about an hour after her nap was over. It was fun to have everyone there, but it did make me tired. I guess that is what the holidays are for, right? I made an awesome roast for our meal. I used onion and portabello mushroom with the good ole' salt and pepper. I didn't really need the knife to cut it into pieces. I might just have to go get one for dinner this week.

Christmas morning I woke up around 5. I think I was still on work time. That or Charlie was crowding me on the bed. She tends to take too much of her alotted space. She now sleeps on the floor or couch when we don't watch her. Anyway, I was up and not getting back to sleep, so I decided to cut the fruit for the fruit salad for breakfast. Then I started surfing the net. I got caught up on everyone's blogs and started waking people up because I wanted to open presents! Katie made out like a bandit. I don't think she knew what to do with everything. I think she had too many options and just wanted to hold the presents wrapped in the pretty paper. She was so good about it though. We all got ready and picked up my Grandma and went to my parents' for breakfast.

When Steve and I were young, we started making Christmas breakfast for mom and dad. At the time, we thought we were being all sneaky and they didn't have a clue what was going on. As I got older I realized they knew exactly what was happening, but pretended very well they didn't. They let us have our "suprise" time. The first time we made breakfast, we went all out and made a menu, prompting them to choose the breakfast burritos since that was really the only thing we made before we got them up. We woke them up (they were very good to stay in their room and pretend to still be asleep) and gave them little bowls with lemon water to wash their hands, gave them the menu then escorted them to the living room where we had set two places in front of the tree.

(I wrote the last part at the beginning of January and finally getting around to posting more on Jan 25. Oops!)

We continued making Christmas breakfast until we were in high school. Then, mom took over and we've just been bringing the side items since. It's a good tradition though!

After breakfast, we opened presents. Mom kept saying she was sorry it was so slim in the gift department (she'd been battling illness so didn't go shopping much), but we didn't really care. For me, Christmas is more about being with family than presents anymore.

We ate a late lunch of our traditional Honey Baked Ham. It was so good! After that, people kind of scattered throughout the house to play games or take naps. All in all, a good day.

Then, the next day came our present from mom and dad. They took the whole family--minus Katie--to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It was a sight to see. I really enjoyed the concert, but they could have brought the volume down just a bit. Does that make me old? But, it really was too loud because at times the guitar was distorting. I don't think they meant for it to be that much. Katie stayed at home with Joy and they very much enjoyed themselves.

So, that was Christmas. For New Year's, we went to John and Cheron's house. There were several families there so it was quite noisy at times. But, I think everyone pretty much had a good time. I tried something thatI can't believe I would ever try. Darren brought some sodas (I can't even think of the name of the company, but they are the same ones that will put your picture on the bottle) that were turkey dinner flavors. JONES! That's what it was! So, there were 5 different flavors: sweet pea, turkey dinner, dinner roll, sweet potato, and antacid. To be a good sport, I tried them. One word to describe it: YUCK! But, I had to do it. After all, when we were in Maine for our honeymoon, I had to try the lobster ice cream. Yup, as gross as it sounds. We rang in the new year and were home in bed by 12:30.

We're so old. But, I don't feel old.

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T06:18:00.000-06:00

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! I'm up early this Christmas. I am waiting for my family to wake up. I am so thankful for my wonderful little family!

Update

2006-12-21T07:48:00.000-06:00

I really don't like viruses. Especially the ones that leave your toddler all dizzy and scared.

Last week, Katie was running a fever. She seemed to get better, so we took her out. Then she got worse and we ended up at Children's Mercy South with a transfer to downtown about halfway through the day.

Saturday morning Katie woke up and was sick. I had to get everything cleaned up and then she couldn't walk. She was falling over and wasn't able to go in a straight line. We took her in to get checked out and the staff at CMHS couldn't figure out why she was so dizzy. They did a check for ear infection, strep, and bloodwork. Nothing. She rode in the ambulance to downtown just because it was safer and less of a liability for them to do it that way rather than us drive her. It turns out that it was a good thing because if CMH didn't know we were coming by transport, we would have been in the waiting room for a very long time. About the time we were arriving was the time they were treating the gunshot and stabbing traumas over the weekend.

So, they did some more tests. Katie had a CT scan, lumbar puncture and urinalysis. They wanted to rule out all the "big" things. Fortunately, all of those tests came back negative. I was upset they were doing so many tests, but relieved at the same time because they were looking for a problem. At one point the doctors told us that they may never know why and that would be ok. The main doctor treating her was saying that if she is still thinking about her case when she is driving home, then she knows she missed something. Better safe than sorry. The staff was very good to us and especially Katie. I am so thankful that we have such great resources so close by.

They finally sent us home about 10:30. Katie was still dizzy on Sunday, but was a lot better about it. It was almost funny because when she felt like she had enough strength to stand up, she would kind of wobble and say "whoa, sit here." She has been such a trooper.

We had her administered to and I could tell an immediate improvement. The power of prayer is an awesome thing.

She is over the dizziness, but has a cough now. We aren't completely out of the woods yet, but we are 1000% better than Saturday morning.

It is so nice to have our families in town when situation like this arise. I am thankful to be surrounded by so many supportive people in our congregation too.

Mommy, Katie funny too..haha

2006-12-15T08:11:00.000-06:00

I just saw this. No wonder when Katie starts laughing, I do too. Every time someone laughs, she has to join in saying she is funny too. Cute kiddo.

Bear with me

2006-12-13T13:11:00.000-06:00

Just because you are using the crosswalk, it doesn't mean you can step off the curb without looking. Didn't his mom teach him to look both ways? I mean, come on! I stopped and the person behind me almost hit me! Luckily I saw him in time, but he just darted in front of me like he owned the road. Sheesh! Moral of the story: Always look both directions and don't assume they will stop.

Which leads me to another rant: if you are driving and see someone waiting for the way to clear, give them a break and stop! I am so irritated when drivers look straight ahead and don't pay attention, or just plain ignore the crosswalks or stop signs directly in front of stores' doors.

Ok, end rant.

On a lighter note, Dr. Pepper is just the most wonderful soda ever.

So it's really tomorrow, but who cares?

2006-12-08T07:24:00.000-06:00

I told you I would finish the life update yesterday, but I didn't get back to the 'ole blog til today. I'm sure you were at the edge of your seats waiting! :) Just kiddning, I'm not really like that.

So, for Ben's B-Day, we went to Texas Roadhouse. We've had better food in past visits, but the service we had that night was superb. It almost made up for the hour+ long wait. Ben was ok going to Old Chicago instead since they could seat us right away, but my dad had to run home at a specific time to take the two turkeys off the grill that he was cooking. The wait allowed him to join us just as they were seating us. So, all in all it worked out ok. Ada got to join us for dinner and cake too.

Sunday was a full day at church. First the service in the morning, then the potluck dinner and Christmas program in the evening. Katie didn't want to sit still during the program. She went back to sit with grandma then wanted grandpa again. Well, I don't think he knew she was comign because she got all the way to the front of the church before I realized what was going on. She just wanted to go sit on Micki's lap while she was reading the story. She is a silly little girl and I love her.

Work started again on Monday and that was that.

Wednesday I played my last concert for JC Winds. The group has disbanded. It is kind of bittersweet. I enjoy playing, but I wanted a break from the committment. I was feeling like I couldn't really take a break because we were so few numbers. So, the decision was made for me. We had a good concert, but it was a relief to have it over.

I have been knitting up a storm. I have several ideas for presents that I need to finish, and I think I will make it before Christmas! It will be close, but I think I can do it. I have 1/2 of one and 1 full one left, but it shouldn't be too bad. Then, some more creations are in the works that should be done by Christmas too. I know I'm pushing it close, but at least it gives me something to do!

When the holiday gift making is done, I think I will start designing more things to possibly sell. Nicole often has a booth at craft fairs and she has offered in the past to let me use some of her space. I might take her up on that this time around.

So now that I have posted for two days in a row, don't expect anything for awhile. But you never know, I may just surprise you.

So, what's new?

2006-12-07T07:39:00.000-06:00

When did I last post? I don't even know. I could go look it up, but that takes some effort. I think it was some time before Thanksgiving. That was such a long time ago!

So, for Thanksgiving, we had our traditional feast of grilled turkey (beats oven turkey any day), mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, sweet potato stuff (it was very yummy) and various other delectable treats. We spent the day with my family and I even got a nap! That just doesn't happen often enough. We had a good time and were even home in time to catch Grey's Anatomy. Bonus!

The next day we headed over to Independence to spend time with Ben's family. We were split (women / men and children) most of the afternoon/evening, but it was still a good time. I don't get to spend time with Joy and Ada very often, so even though I felt a teeny bit guilty by not being with the whole family, some good shopping was done. Plus, since we were out and hungry, we got Red Robin for dinner. You just can't go wrong there.

I honestly do not remember what happened later in the weekend. I do know that it was great having four days off from full time work. Oh yea, I had to go in for a couple hours on Sat. and Sun., but I get paid for the overtime so it all works out. Which reminds me that Katie and I went shopping and had a good time.

More of the same work routine the next week, except for our snow days. Unfortunately I don't get to take off because of snow, but when I drove to work on Friday, the entire parking lot was cleared. That was really nice. Katie was so excited about the "no outside", she even got to play in it for like two minutes. She wasn't sure what to do, so maybe next time we will stay out a little longer. Of course Charlie loves the snow. She is just so cute with snow all over her big brown nose. Sorry, no photos, use your imagination!

Ben's birthday was Dec 2, so we had another full day. We went to my dad's work to see Santa in the morning. Katie did very well and didn't seemed too concerned about Santa. They really did a great job with the planning. There were several clowns making balloon animals, so Katie got a little ladybug. They had an area where you could decorate an ornament, and of course the cookies. They didn't look nearly as pretty as the ones Heidi makes, but they tasted yummy!

I will continue this update later today, so stay tuned!

UGH!

2006-11-14T21:19:00.000-06:00

So I thought that I would change the color of this blog. So, I selected a new template. It warned me that my customizations would be lost. Did I realize that meant all my links? No, of course not. So, I fantically selected the old template color and now know that I need to somehow save all of my code for the links if I am to keep them with a color change. Any suggestions? How do I save the link info? Do I cut and paste into a word document? Also, how to I change the color if I don't like it?

It's only been a week...

2006-11-14T20:32:00.000-06:00

...since my last post. It seems like it has been even longer than that.

I got a vacation day Friday to celebrate Veteran's Day. Thank you to all the veterans and current service members for keeping us safe and free.

My uncle was ordained as a Seventy in our church on Sunday so we saw about half of my relatives over the weekend. All in all it was a good weekend. Even with Katie only taking a five minute nap in the car Sunday between events. I would have liked for her to have a nap, but she did remarkably well with no sleep during the day.

I went to a bead store today that is closing its doors this coming weekend. I got $120 worth of stuff for $50. Not a bad deal in my opinion! I got stuff that I normally would have overlooked, but I have some great ideas for it. Someday you might see evidence here.

I had a situation at work today that was kind of interesting. I won't go into detail here, but I realized that I am truly a professional in my field. I feel important to this organization. What a great feeling! My supervisor trusts my judgement enough to allow me to interface with people professionally without hanging over my shoulder. Days like today really confirm that this was a good career move for me.

Katie's new thing this week is Curious George Bubble Bath. Get dorj bub-bles! Also, this afternoon she told Grandma "Katie eat pizza dinner." She knows what she likes!

two for Tuesday

2006-11-07T11:36:00.000-06:00

1. It's election day. Go vote. I'm going this afternoon.

2. Katie is one step closer to potty training. She told me "SIT POTTY CHAIR" so I told her to go ahead. She did what she was supposed to. I praised her and she looked at me like so what mom? I do this all the time. I think I was more excited than she was.

2006-11-02T07:44:00.000-06:00

Katie had a blast on Halloween. First, she got to go to Grandpa's office. I think she liked sitting in his chair more than anything. Although, the cookie wasn't too bad either. The receptionist had a fish that Katie loved. She wanted to see it the whole time we were there.

We had a quick dinner then off to see Joy, Buce, and Jep. She got to practice her trick-or-treat and was greatly rewarded.

Off to see Grandma and Grandpa and all the kids that came to the door. She loved seeing all the kids. We took her to a couple houses to trick-or-treat. That's all she wanted to do. I think she may have been starting to get cold. All in all, she had a great time.

If I ever get my photos off my camera, I will post them. My little kangaroo is so very cute.

2006-10-23T11:58:00.000-05:00

"Katie, what would you like for dinner?"

"DACK-amonicheese! Apple-auce!"

Yes, she speaks with exclamation points.

I'm zoomin'

2006-10-19T07:57:00.000-05:00

I started a new project on Sunday and I'm already over half-way finished. I am making a new purse. I love the yarn! I'll post pictures when it's done, so stay tuned!

I play with a group from JCCC called JC Winds. We are currently preparing for our last concert as this group. It's kind of strange. I have been with the group since August, 2002. We play 2 concerts a semester and they are free! The group is sponsered currently through the school, but they are wanting to raise our continuing education tuition price considerably. So, other arrangements are in the works. We don't know what is coming, but we have seen this change coming for awhile. If you are interested, we will be playing on December 6 at 7:30 pm at the Carlson Center.

It's mom and dad

2006-10-10T08:16:00.000-05:00

Katie has started really picking up on what others say. When I call up the stairs, I say Ben. Katie now is starting to call him Ben. It's cute, but that's daddy!

When we were getting the decorations and stuff done for Steve and Nicole's wedding, Katie was in the gym where the action was and was trying to get someone's attention. She was in the middle in the Pac'n'Play wanting someone to pick her up. So, people kept asking Frankie what to do with this or that. Katie had enough of being alone and yelled "FRANKIE!" Needless to say, everyone got a laugh and Katie got some attention.

Yesterday I went to pick her up. When I get there, all the kids say "hi Jen" when I walk in the door. Now so does Katie.

I'm glad she knows our names, but I still want to be called mama!

Little games, big ideas

2006-10-05T20:50:00.000-05:00

My last post I asked for topics. Heidi suggested writing about what I pretended when I was little. So, here goes. Wow, this is kind of like when I was writing essays in high school. It's a little tough to just jump right in and start writing, but here goes.

When I was young, probably about 5 or so, I started having ideas about the Universe. Well, ideas that I can remember to this day anyway. I used to imagine that there were two parallel universes to ours. One was made up of giants. They mimmicked everything we did, exactly as we were doing it. Then, the other world was made up of little tiny humans about the size of ants. They also mimmicked everything. So, 5 year old me was looking in the mirror, pondering the existance of other worlds exactly like ours except bigger and smaller, thinking that the other worlds were thinking the same thing. So, we were just a bunch of parallel worlds all doing the exact same thing at the exact same time.

I realize that this may sound far-fetched to you, thinking there is no way a 5 year old would be thinking this. Granted, I know bigger words now, but it is true. At the time, there were ant worlds and giant worlds. I would think about this on the bus to school, but never told anyone until now.

Remind me to tell you about my de-ja-vu and premonition experiences too. Very odd.

I still somewhat believe that. I don't necessarily believe that the are other worlds doing the exact thing we are doing at this moment, but I do believe that somewhere there is someone or something. We may not find it in my lifetime, or Katie's for that matter, but some day other life will be discovered.

Then, of course for me, this leads to the start of the universe, which I will talk about another time. Oh-there is a good blog topic for a rainy day! That one is a hot debate and I would like to hear your ideas, but not today. My brain is too tired to tackle that right now.

So the second thing that I thought of was when I was young, not sure how old, but sometimes I got to take a bubble bath instead of a shower (or in addition to, not really sure. Since Dad always got us ready for school, shower it was). Well, when I had the bubble bath, I would always pretend I was saving all the bubbles from the monsters. I would push them all to one corner and they would pile up and get really tall, but they would be safe.

One other thing, my bedroom floor was lava and I had to get across it by stepping on the "rocks" that were scattered all over so I would get hurt.

Also, I had to sleep facing the nightlight so the witches wouldn't get me if I faced the dark wall. I still find it more comfortable sleeping in that same direction (on my stomach with my left cheek on the pillow), only now it's because the light isn't on that side. We sleep with our door open and the glow from the computer screen saver can be too bright if the office door is left open.

Okay, enough for tonight. Time to get some sleep.

2006-10-05T09:37:00.000-05:00

This blogging stuff is weird for me. I was never one to keep a journal or diary growing up. I would be very good with writing for about a week and then nothing for months, often years. So, writing this many posts in this amount of time is like a new record for me. I find things in my life that I think oh, I should blog about that. Then, when I get a chance to do it, I can't find anything to write about. I think I'm just going through a slump with the creativity. So, what should I write? Give me a topic like we had in school where we had to write essays all the time. You can be my teachers, but don't grade me harshly! I'm a chemist after all. English wasn't really my strong point.

A big CONGRATULATIONS go out to Jim. He passed the bar exam! Woo Hoo to you!

What to say?

2006-09-22T08:55:00.000-05:00

I feel like you are waiting for a long narrative about something--anything--but I just can't seem to think of anything to blog about! Every time I sit down to write, nothing jumps out at me. Oh well.

I am a month into my job and don't have much to tell you. Things are going very well. I feel like I'm on the team. I've already done some good things for them and I've got more brewing. Job life is good. It is so laid back around here. The stress level is minimal, at least for what I am used to. I have deadlines, but they are so far out that it seems like light years away. I have till the end of the year to get one of the new methods ironed out and implemented. I'm already 2/3 of the way there and it seems like I've been taking too long as it is. My personal goal is the end of October. I think that is definately doable. It feels like it's been years since I left my old job. I don't miss it.

Katie took a tumble this week and ended up with an injury that could possibly result in a scar. I had just dropped her off and got a call that she fell on her cup and cut her lip and may need to go to the doctor. I was close to work so I ran in to tell my supervisor that she was hurt and I didn't know when I'd be back. I got back to Katie and she had already stopped crying. She is such a trooper! She had a nasty slice on her lower lip from the corner into the middle. Luckily, the cut is where the pink of the lip changes color back to flesh tone, so if it does scar, it won't be very noticable. I called the Dr. on call for the office she goes to and Dr. said that if you can't stick a french fry in it, they won't stitch it. It was only a slice, not a hole, so we didn't need to take her in. It's been two days and her lip isn't swollen except for the area around the cut. It is healing very nicely. She got to wear her jammies all day yesterday because we didn't want to pull a shirt over her head! So, she is doing great and I didn't even cry!

2006-09-06T14:16:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a long time since I have updated, but I just didn't have much to say. My job is very uneventful, so the stress level is very minimal. I like that a lot. One of my responsibilities is collecting samples from various locations around town. It's nice because I get outside. I know I probably will not like it much in the winter, but I'll make it! I'm supposed to be getting a bunch of weather wear (coats, boots, etc) soon. I go to the river every day I am sampling. No, not just to play! We collect a sample from the Kansas River every day. So, I'm still getting to know the job, but I like it. It suits me well.

Steve and Nicole are getting married on Saturday, so I've been helping a lot recently getting things done for that. It will be so nice! I can't give any details since Nicole isn't telling anyone. I feel privileged to have the information I do!

Other than that, life is going on as normal. Katie is growing in new ways all the time. She is singing and dancing now. It is so much fun!

Oh, I think this post is number 50!

A New Beginning

2006-08-21T19:57:00.000-05:00

I started my new job today. I think it will be a great fit for me. Today felt like a day at the beach compared to what I had been doing! I didn't do much productive, but I am not worried about it. I already have a project, so as long as I have something on the burner, life is good. It will take a little getting used to the slower pace, but I definately need that. I was so incredibly stressed at my last job, so I deserve a little reprieve. Of course, I only got about 4 1/2 hours of sleep last night, so I am just exhausted, but that's always the way it is when I start something new like this.

The building the lab is in is kind of small, so all the office space is already taken. I get to have my office as a cubicle in the breakroom. Oh well, not the best of places, but there are only a few of us in there, so there isn't too much traffic going through the breakroom. At least I get a window! The space is actually not bad, so I think it will be just fine.

I just realized that in the course of reading all my blogs, I managed to eat four brownies bites from Costco. They are delicious! Not so good for the ole tum. Note to self: two is plenty.

I have thoughts rambling through my brain, but can't seem to pull one down and make it complete. I blame it on tiredness!

Here's to another new day and new beginnings!

18 Month Update

2006-08-15T11:58:00.000-05:00

I took Katie to the doctor today for her 18 month checkup. I'd like to say she did great, but I'd be lying. When we got into the room, there wasn't much issue. The nurse asked me to take her clothes and still no problem. The nurse took out her tape measurer to measure Katie's head and Katie started screaming! I was thinking "who are you and what did you do with my angel?" So we got the head measurement and her height so I was able to pick her up again. We went to weigh her and she didn't like sitting on the scale either. We got all the stats (33 inches and 24# 12 oz) then were left alone in the room for a couple minutes. She did GREAT then. Then, in walks the doctor. My loving child was replaced with a banshee. Wow, I've not heard her screem like that. I was trying to comfort her so he could listen to her lungs and heart and she was just not happy. I don't know why she was reacting like this. The only thing I can think of is that she remembered getting shots the last time she was there and she remembered the pain. I couldn't do anything to calm her down, but as soon as she was able to put her clothes back on, she was alright. Hmmm... So, next appointment is at 2 years where she will get a couple shots, but then will be set for awhile. Poor little girl!

New category

2006-08-11T20:38:00.000-05:00

I started a new category in the sidebar, my wish list.

As I become a better knitter, I find myself becoming a yarn snob. It used to be that the cheap stuff you get from Hobby Lobby would do. Not so much anymore. Hobby Lobby is still ok, but I don't like the feel of the acryllic yarns any longer. I have gotten a taste of natural fibers and I like what is out there. Don't get me wrong, some of the synthetic yarns are ok to work with. Some are super soft. But, there is no greater satisfaction of feeling a merino wool or silk slipping through your fingers while you create a beautiful fabric.

So, I created a wish list. Unfortunately for me, the good stuff is ex-pen-sive. I will always wish for more yarn til the day I die. That's a whole lotta wishin.

Today is brought to you by the number 4

2006-08-11T10:47:00.000-05:00

That's right, counting today, 4 more days at this job! I will take two days off next week to relax and have fun with Katie. I can hardly stand the excitement.

Tomorrow, we will venture to Powell Gardens to see the butterflies on display. We went last year and had a good time, so we're doing it again. I think Katie will like them better this time around. I am excited to see her reaction. It's great getting to experience life again through a little one's eyes.

Tonight, I am not cooking! I did pretty darn good this week making dinner for the family. I know for sure I cooked Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, but can't for the life of me remember what we did on Tuesday. It must be a black hole. Oh well. I'm trying! I have a hard time coming home from work and cooking. It's just so easy to pick up something on the way home. Oh yea, went to Sonic on Tuesday. Whew, glad that is solved or it would nag at me for a very long time. Anyway, I'm trying to make more of an effort at having dinner at home. I think it is that I just don't want to take the time to make something. Heat and eats are so much faster. Plus, restaraunts don't make me do anything! So, any suggestions on quick yummy dinners?

He done did it!

2006-08-08T21:37:00.000-05:00

It's about time! Ben finally started his own blog. No more of this wishy-washy-ness of what to call it, which site to go with, etc. FINALLY, some peace!

This Ben guy can really make you scratch your head and wonder out loud, "WHAT?!?"

So, go on over and congratulate him for taking the plunge and just doing it. I've only been telling him this for how long? Seems like forever.

Curiosity killed the cat

2006-08-04T08:31:00.000-05:00

Ok, the title doesn't have much to do with the content of this post, but I like that saying. I am curious though. Has anyone clicked on the links to the free games? I love puzzle games like these. It exercises my brain. Are there any games you like?

Hang up the old hat.

2006-08-02T10:44:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm trading one hat for another. I am changing jobs. I've known for about a week that I will be moving, but couldn't say anything until it was finalized. I gave my two weeks notice today. What a relief. I am very excited about my new career. It's the same basic work as what I have been doing, but with a larger organization. Wow, I thought I'd be more eloquent with this post because of my excitement, but I kind of feel numb. It's a bittersweet, mostly sweet situation. I have been with this company for 5 years now. It's just strange to know I won't be coming here on a daily basis in two weeks. But, it's all good!

Updated 8/4/06: I will start my new job on August 21! They are excited to have me start, so that makes me feel even better about this decision.

I'll have vanilla. Then again, maybe not.

2006-07-29T08:49:00.000-05:00

We usually go out to eat somewhere on Friday nights. After we eat, if the weather is nice and not blazing hot, we will go to a park so that Katie can play. Well, it was too hot last night so we went to Dairy Queen! Katie got her first ice cream cone, but wasn't too impressed with the dessert. She took a couple bites/licks/tastes, but then decided she didn't want any more. Oh well! We still had fun anyhow.

mmm...tasty

Aren't I cute?

All done!

Shower gifts

2006-07-28T20:31:00.000-05:00

As promised, here are some pictures of my latest creations. If anyone is interested, the coasters are made from Manos de Uraguay (I think this is what it was, I lost the label) in a lovely red color with some slight varigation. The hand towel was made from some yarn I found at JoAnn's (again with the label) using the pattern from Mason Dixon Knitting. I just want to say I fell in love with this pattern. I can't wait to re-knit it using the linen yarn called for. That would be simply lovely. The felted box pattern is also from MDK. It was real quick and very satisfying. Although, I didn't look at the book errata before I started. The pattern called for a size 10 needle and I just couldn't do it with that, so I think I used size 11. THEN I found the correction and it called for a 15. I think that would make a lot of difference. I am still happy with the end result, however. I will definately be making these again. Ok, enough about the specs. Here's the pics! The "group" shots are more true to color.

Help me!

2006-07-28T17:48:00.000-05:00

Ok, I need help. Actually, my husband needs help. But mostly I need your help so he will QUIT HIJACKING MY COMMENTS!

You see, Ben wants to start a blog. The problem is he doesn't know what to call it. He keeps asking me, but I don't know. So, what do you all think? He wants something that will reflect who he is, but doesn't want to just use his name. Hmmm... Ponder this with me and leave your ideas in the comments.

THANK YOU!

I really don't mind the comments, but he does need help deciding.

Gone for awhile

2006-07-28T12:16:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile. I have stuff to share, but don't have the photo documentation to prove it! Steve and Nicole had their wedding shower last weekend. I had been working feverishly to finish the gifts for it! I am very pleased with the end product. I will post pictures this weekend. They received a lot of nice gifts. I think Steve was a little overwhelmed with the love and support everyone showed. Being a part of our congregation is a good thing. We all stick together and support each other. For the two showers I had (wedding and baby) the congregation really opened their hearts and gave to us. I felt so loved and blessed to be a part of such a wonderful group!

We will be absent for the next two weeks. This Sunday we are going to Independence to celebrate our nephew Alex's baptism. The next week we will be attending the baptism of my high school friend's daughter at their church. It will be weird for me to be away from our church for two Sundays in a row. This hasn't happened in a very long time. I always go! But, these are very important times in other's lives, so we want to be there to support them.

Ben's family is visiting from Washington so Aunt Noreen will be baptising Alex. We got to visit with them some on Monday when they came to our house. Katie was great as always. I think she is a people lover. Or an attention lover. Hmmm, maybe it's one in the same? Anyway, she kept going to Uncle Phil and getting attention from him. Of course Alex loves her. I don't really know what all she was doing since I was cooking, but I never heard her crying, so all is well.

Ben granted my wish for my birthday. I have been telling him for some time now that I want a small digital camera to keep in my purse so I can take pictures when the mood strikes. So, for my birthday, he got me a small camera! It is so cute and I love it. There just hasn't been much pictue opportunity recently. I hope that will change soon! I just need to get more into the mindset to do more snapshots. I'll get there!

What's for lunch?

2006-07-20T10:23:00.000-05:00

Did you see this? Hmmm... I guess this guy loves his pet.

Letterboxing

2006-07-18T14:52:00.000-05:00

A few summers ago, Ben and I became familiar with a sport/activity/adventure (I don't really know what it's classification is) called Letterboxing. You may have heard of Geocaching. Well, this is similar, but a little different. There is a website that has a lot of clues to take you to different letterboxes. Inside you will find a stamp and small notebook. When you locate the box based on the given clues, you ink up your stamp and stamp it into the box's book and ink the box's stamp to stamp in your book. It's kind of like a passport so you have a log of where you've been and the placer of the box can see where people are from. We found a couple boxes when we started this hobby and had every intention of making our own stamps and making boxes to hide for others to find. We haven't touched it since. We were both thinking about it recently, so this post is to help spur us along to start letterboxing again. If anyone else is interested, join us!

I think the thing that held us up before was trying to come up with designs for our stamps. In this hobby, your stamp in kind of like your signature. You don't have to make your own, but it makes it more fun to see homemade stamps in the books. We keep going around with ideas and just need to pick something and do it. I think Ben is closer to having a firm idea than I am, so I need to get busy thinking of something!

I think I'll wait till it's not 100 degrees.

2006-07-08T14:29:00.000-05:00

I am such a slacker. I keep thinking I should update the ole' blog, but it just doesn't happen.

Last Saturday I went over and helped Steve and Nicole get their wedding invitations put together. They are very pretty. Nicole's mom painted the outside with Chinese lettering. I wish I knew what it says, but I can't remember. It is very nice though. It was fun getting to hang out with Nicole for a little bit. She and I don't have much opportunity to get together because our lives are so busy. When we do get together, I have a good time. I hope she does too!

I am so happy for Steve and Nicole. They just fit together so well. She is making a great addition to our family.

They have a website up now, so go check it out sometime.

I am so tired. I want time to myself for a day. I don't want to have to do anything for anyone else for just a day. Unfortunately, that just doesn't happen.

I almost hit a squirrel...

2006-06-25T19:24:00.000-05:00

With my bike!

Ben and I live quite close to an entrance to the bike trails. He decided to go for a ride this afternoon, so Katie and I joined him. Let me tell you, this mom is WAY out of shape. I was really feeling the hills. But, they are quite steep when you get to one part of the trail.

We rode a total of 6.1 miles and I only walked up four hills. I was able to get up the smaller ones, but the ones out of the creek crossings were mighty difficult.

Anyway, the last time we rode this particular section, we saw some people stopped looking at something. Ben found out they were looking at an albino squirrel. How often do you see an albino squirrel? Not often. So, we got to see him (or her) also. He was pure white with the red eyes. To me, he looked more fluffy than the regular ones we see around here. So that was then.

Today, we were approaching the area where we saw him the last time and we were talking about if we'd see the white guy again. We didn't see him. Made us wonder if he was still around or not. We kept going and went a little further on the trail this time. We we turned around to come back home, I was leading. I was kind of looking nonchalantly to my left into the woods and saw something white out of the corner of my eye on the right. I first thought it was a piece of paper or something blowing onto the trail. My initial reaction was to brake so I wouldn't hit it. It was a good thing I braked because if I hadn't, I may have run over the albino squirrel. If I would have hit it, I would have been very upset. I don't want to be the one responsible for killing an oddity of nature!

So, the question about the continued exsistance of the albino squirrel was answered. He is still very much alive, unless he had a heart attack.

2006-06-21T12:48:00.000-05:00

Ben got me a MP3 player for our anniversary. It took me a long time to start using it, but I am using it a lot now. I really enjoy it! Especially since the lab can be kind of noisy at times, I just put on the tunes and go into my own world. Ben loaded it up for me and there are a lot of Bare Naked Ladies songs on there. I am ready for a change though. Does anyone want to put some tunes on for me? I am up for anything.

I love Ben

2006-06-20T16:21:00.000-05:00

Ben, you make me laugh. You are such a goofball sometimes and I love it!

Is anybody out there?

2006-06-20T12:56:00.000-05:00

It's been kind of quiet around here. Is anybody still reading this blog? If you are still around, leave a comment some time! I miss hearing from people.

Happy Father's Day

2006-06-18T16:12:00.000-05:00

Today marks Ben's second father's day and a whole lot more for my dad. These two men are wonderful fathers.

When I was a little girl, I remember going to a Daddy/Daughter thing at church. I don't remember all that we did, but I know that it was just the two of us. I don't know if this was the first "date" we had, but it definitely wasn't the last. Some of my fondest memories include date nights with my dad. We would usually go to dinner then take in a show of some kind, usually a concert. It always made me feel like I was worth more than a million bucks. My dad has always made me feel special and I know he would do anything for me, even now. My dad taught me how to enjoy life, how to appreciate the little things. He taught me how to swing a hammer and how to fix a sqeaky floor. My dad has deep well of knowledge that I have tapped many times. He helped nurture my love of music and the arts.

I love you dad!

Ben is a great daddy to Katie. When he gets home and Katie hears the front door unlock, she will stop whatever she is doing and run to him. He scoops her up and they give each other loves. To see them so excited to see each other is such a wonderful thing! Ben will get down on the floor and play with Katie and she just loves it. She will take his hat and he'll let her. He'll even put it on her head. I can see the love he has for our little girl and it makes my heart swell. My wish for Ben as a father to Katie is for her to have such fond memories of him as I have for my dad. I think she is well on her way.

I love you Ben!

Here's to you daddy!