It's moving week and we have A LOT of packing to do yet. We knew this week was coming, so why wouldn't you put more effort into packing up all your stuff so you're ready??? I think they like to call it procrastination. We've done a little bit here and there, but we still have a ways to go. One reason we're a little behind is that our closing date was moved up 3 days, which doesn't sound like a lot, but those extra 3 days, means we can move in a weekend earlier that we first thought, so really, we lost about 7 days. Right now we're working pretty hard to get everything ready by Friday so that when all of our people come to help move, all they have to do is the moving part. So if you don't have anything better to do next Saturday (besides watching the Buckeyes) you're more than welcome to come help!
Tomorrow (Monday) we go in and sign the closing papers. Then on Wednesday we will get the keys to the house. It's exciting but hard to believe that we won't be in our apartment next Sunday!
Last Sunday I had the opportunity to go with a bunch of my high school friends up to Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI to watch the Packers & Bengals. Now, I'm not really a fan of either, but I couldn't pass up the chance to see Lambeau Field! I'm VERY happy that I got to go when it was about 75 degrees instead of 0 with a -25 windchill! It was a great experience and a great game! Everyone was very friendly -- even though the Packers lost and I was wearing a Chad Johnson...oops, I mean Chad Ochocinco jersey. I got a lot of crap from a lot of people, but one of my friend's had brought the extra jersey along and no one was going to wear it. So I was the brave one to sport the jersey.
Well, back to watching Sunday afternoon football as well as keeping an eye on those Tigers! Until next time --
9.27.2009
9.11.2009
In the news
I think I told a few of you that my company, Berry Plastics came up with a great way to help out a lot of people in our community. For those of you who have not been to Berry Plastics, we have a big field to the east of our plant, 7 acres to be exact. One of our employees had the idea to grow some food to help out those in need, especially now, with so many people out of work in Elkhart County. So we planted sweet corn, yes 7 acres of sweencorn. If you're wondering how much that might equate to, it's somewhere around 9,000 dozen (100,000 ears)!!! We lined up a lot of area food pantries and churches to come and pick up the corn. Since it is a parishible food, it needs to be used as soon as possible. We thought we may have trouble getting willing agencies to take it, but we were very wrong. We got rid of every last ear...truly amazing. God definitely had a plan for each ear that we gave away. It was a lot of fun to be a part of something so big like this. Every person that came and picked up the corn was so grateful for it, and in turn they said "you have no idea how many people you will make very happy for this food"
We did get some media coverage out of this event, so I'm going to give you a link to the Elkhart Truth. It was on the front page of the paper this AM, and I just happened to be in one of the pictures on the front page. You couldn't see my face, but my name got in the caption! :) Our local NBC station was also there and did a news story on our project, but I haven't seen anything online yet. If I do, I'll be sure to send those on. So, check out the link (you may have to copy and paste into your browser):
http://www.etruth.com/Know/News/Story.aspx?ID=492847
We did get some media coverage out of this event, so I'm going to give you a link to the Elkhart Truth. It was on the front page of the paper this AM, and I just happened to be in one of the pictures on the front page. You couldn't see my face, but my name got in the caption! :) Our local NBC station was also there and did a news story on our project, but I haven't seen anything online yet. If I do, I'll be sure to send those on. So, check out the link (you may have to copy and paste into your browser):
http://www.etruth.com/Know/News/Story.aspx?ID=492847
7.12.2009
Enjoying the outdoors
Some of us don't get the luxury of going to the beach, so we have to improvise and lay on our beach towels in the yard close our eyes, and imagine the waves crashing in the distance, the sand beneath our toes, and the smell of salt water. Because let's face it, it the Midwest, dry, crunchy grass and a cow manure aroma doesn't quite cut it. Brother Dave, if you can't tell, I'm a little jealous of your weekend get away. but this coming Saturday you can think of me b/c I'll be at the lake all week with Brent's fam and his in-laws!
This week's work schedule is going to be a little crazy for me. Monday is normal but i'll work a 10 hour day on Tuesday and 12 hours on Wednesday. But it works out just fine because the office staff at work isn't supposed to work any O.T. so I'll have all my hours in by Friday so I get an extra vacation day! So, I can't complain too much. Andrea is going to take the day off too and we're going to go to the county fair. We'll only be here for one day of it so we have to make the most of it!
This week I'm going to be giving some training to some employees. We have a new training software that is being used throughout out entire corporation so all employees now have access to the same exact training. It's very new, so it's don't fully developed, but it's going to be a great tool in the future. The hard part, like anything, is to get our employees excited about it and use it....that's my job!! I'm open to any tips anyone has for that!
Work has been going very good. We continue to make lots and LOTS of trash bags. FYI, I'm not sure if it's still going on or not, but Walmart was having a sale on our Ruffies brand. They were selling them for $1. We don't make these at our plant, but one of our other plants does, so if you need any trash bags I would highly recommend those!
Did anyone hear that Michael Jackson died? I was floored and how much media attention he got. It made me think what our society thinks is important. Yes he was a great singer/dancer, but the guy had some major issues and not sure he was the best role model for anyone.
Well i need to turn over so I don't get sun-burned on my back. and it's pretty hard to type laying on your back.
This week's work schedule is going to be a little crazy for me. Monday is normal but i'll work a 10 hour day on Tuesday and 12 hours on Wednesday. But it works out just fine because the office staff at work isn't supposed to work any O.T. so I'll have all my hours in by Friday so I get an extra vacation day! So, I can't complain too much. Andrea is going to take the day off too and we're going to go to the county fair. We'll only be here for one day of it so we have to make the most of it!
This week I'm going to be giving some training to some employees. We have a new training software that is being used throughout out entire corporation so all employees now have access to the same exact training. It's very new, so it's don't fully developed, but it's going to be a great tool in the future. The hard part, like anything, is to get our employees excited about it and use it....that's my job!! I'm open to any tips anyone has for that!
Work has been going very good. We continue to make lots and LOTS of trash bags. FYI, I'm not sure if it's still going on or not, but Walmart was having a sale on our Ruffies brand. They were selling them for $1. We don't make these at our plant, but one of our other plants does, so if you need any trash bags I would highly recommend those!
Did anyone hear that Michael Jackson died? I was floored and how much media attention he got. It made me think what our society thinks is important. Yes he was a great singer/dancer, but the guy had some major issues and not sure he was the best role model for anyone.
Well i need to turn over so I don't get sun-burned on my back. and it's pretty hard to type laying on your back.
6.24.2009
Let The Fun Begin
Summer is now in full force -- and it sure didn't take long to get there. On the very first day we were welcomed with high temps. and high humidity. When it was frigidly cold this winter, the last thing on my mind was the air conditioner in my car -- but the past couple of days it's been in the forefront. Oh, to have a nice cool breeze blowing my hair. Instead I have all 4 windows down and trying not to come to a complete stop, otherwise I begin sweating profusely and no one at work would want to be near me after that.
Last weekend Andrea and I looked at a house. We really aren't in any hurry to move, because we have a great set up where we are now, but after the gov't started offering all this money it's something we thought we needed to consider a little more seriously. The house we looked at was one of Jeff & Kris' friends. We really liked the land it was on, but the house itself was a bit dated and there were a lot of things that we would have wanted to change. After talking about knocking down walls we felt we needed to keep looking. I'm sure there are many more places out there. Dave, I hear that you have a pretty nice place you're trying to sell. Too bad you don't live about 2500 miles closer -- we might be able to talk then! We'll keep you updated as we continue to look...
Before I forget, be sure to check out the standings on the right hand side of this page. Just thought I'd point out that the Tiger's seem to be doing just fine and have faith that this will continue. By the way, did anyone catch the outcome of last night's game against the beloved Cubs???? One out, bottom of the ninth, one base runner, pinch hitter = Walk off home run!!! Doesn't get much better than that does it??
Since summer has begun you start to think of all the things you have planned...next up on the list is a visit to Ohio over the 4th. Hopefully I'll write again before that time comes.
Last weekend Andrea and I looked at a house. We really aren't in any hurry to move, because we have a great set up where we are now, but after the gov't started offering all this money it's something we thought we needed to consider a little more seriously. The house we looked at was one of Jeff & Kris' friends. We really liked the land it was on, but the house itself was a bit dated and there were a lot of things that we would have wanted to change. After talking about knocking down walls we felt we needed to keep looking. I'm sure there are many more places out there. Dave, I hear that you have a pretty nice place you're trying to sell. Too bad you don't live about 2500 miles closer -- we might be able to talk then! We'll keep you updated as we continue to look...
Before I forget, be sure to check out the standings on the right hand side of this page. Just thought I'd point out that the Tiger's seem to be doing just fine and have faith that this will continue. By the way, did anyone catch the outcome of last night's game against the beloved Cubs???? One out, bottom of the ninth, one base runner, pinch hitter = Walk off home run!!! Doesn't get much better than that does it??
Since summer has begun you start to think of all the things you have planned...next up on the list is a visit to Ohio over the 4th. Hopefully I'll write again before that time comes.
6.03.2009
One Year and 3 Days
and still no dog! I did it, I've made it that long and haven't given in the "pleases", "I need a puppy's", or the unspoken looks! How long that will last, I don't know, but I see this as a great accomplishment!
As you know from my last post, we went to Madison, WI for our anniversary and had tons of fun. The brat fest was pretty cool. It was the same setting as a typical county fair. They had the rides that go 'round and 'round, the games, the fried fair food, and yes, the carnies. About the only differences were the HUGE tent that they were selling brats in and the many many grills they were cooking on. I took several pictures and need to work at getting those posted so that everyone can see them. I'm also proud to say that we were able to be a part of history, they set a new record of brats consumed at the first festival of the year! Here's the link if you want to check it out: http://www.bratfest.com
The past few weeks I've been running to keep myself in shape now that I'm not playing basketball every week. Goshen has a beautiful trail that runs through the city that is specifically for bikers, walkers, and joggers. This trail goes thru the college, so I take a short piece of the trail and wind my way to the Greencroft Retirement Center. It's a setup very similar to Fairlawn back in A-town. My route continues thru the Greencroft complex via sidewalks and roads. There typically isn't very much traffic so it's a very nice place to run. Now, I'm not typically someone who gets paranoid about much but today as I'm running there was a car coming towards me and as it gets closer it moves over to maintain a safe distance (as it should) and I noticed that there was an older lady driving. She was going into the sun so she had her visor down, sunglasses on, and her left hand in the air because she was too short for the visor to be any help at all. Luckily (and I mean that in the nicest possible way) she passed safely and that got me thinking that running through greencoft might be a little more risky than originally believed. Think about it, here's a community of my elders, many of them drive, but as we all know, with age comes the potential for physical impairments.
I think I might start moving into the grass from now on -- it's good there's lots of grass because the sidewalks aren't much safer....come to find out, I forgot about the motorized scooters!!!
As you know from my last post, we went to Madison, WI for our anniversary and had tons of fun. The brat fest was pretty cool. It was the same setting as a typical county fair. They had the rides that go 'round and 'round, the games, the fried fair food, and yes, the carnies. About the only differences were the HUGE tent that they were selling brats in and the many many grills they were cooking on. I took several pictures and need to work at getting those posted so that everyone can see them. I'm also proud to say that we were able to be a part of history, they set a new record of brats consumed at the first festival of the year! Here's the link if you want to check it out: http://www.bratfest.com
The past few weeks I've been running to keep myself in shape now that I'm not playing basketball every week. Goshen has a beautiful trail that runs through the city that is specifically for bikers, walkers, and joggers. This trail goes thru the college, so I take a short piece of the trail and wind my way to the Greencroft Retirement Center. It's a setup very similar to Fairlawn back in A-town. My route continues thru the Greencroft complex via sidewalks and roads. There typically isn't very much traffic so it's a very nice place to run. Now, I'm not typically someone who gets paranoid about much but today as I'm running there was a car coming towards me and as it gets closer it moves over to maintain a safe distance (as it should) and I noticed that there was an older lady driving. She was going into the sun so she had her visor down, sunglasses on, and her left hand in the air because she was too short for the visor to be any help at all. Luckily (and I mean that in the nicest possible way) she passed safely and that got me thinking that running through greencoft might be a little more risky than originally believed. Think about it, here's a community of my elders, many of them drive, but as we all know, with age comes the potential for physical impairments.
I think I might start moving into the grass from now on -- it's good there's lots of grass because the sidewalks aren't much safer....come to find out, I forgot about the motorized scooters!!!
5.24.2009
Vacations are Great
When we told most people where we were going for our 1st wedding anniversary we got a very confused look and big "Why?" Well when you have 2 people that love vacations and bratwursts you have a recipie for a lot of fun! Actually, it's still potential fun because we haven't been to the brat fest yet so we can't say weather we enjoyed it yet.
We had planned to go yesterday, but the forecast called for intermittent showers and we didn't really want to be in the rain all day. So instead, we headed to the Wollersheim Winery. It was absolutely gorgeous! From the drive there, to the winery itself, and back to the hotel, we noted several times how beautiful Wisconsin is. We never knew what it was like up here, but both said we could see ourselves living here. Don't get too excited though...no plans on moving quite yet!
We took a tour of the winery, and got to see the process and learned about different types of grapes, I took several pics, so I'll have to post them somewhere and let everyone look at them -- OR, everyone could come visit us and then we'd show you! :)
After our tour we were really hungry so we asked one of the employees if there was a good restaurant around and she pointed us in the direction of a nearby town. It was called the Blue Spoon Creamery Cafe. It was a simple little town, and they had soup, salad, and sandwiches. They had outdoor seating on the bank of the river so we had a gorgeous view while we ate!
We then came back to the hotel and relaxed before going out for the evening. Andrea has always wanted to eat falafels, so we looked up some Middle Eastern food on the 'net and found the King of Falafel restaurant in downtown Madison. It was a shady little place. We entered thru the back door, down a short hallway, and thru some swinging doors. The restaurant itself had about 12 tables, and there were a handful of people there with only 1 waiter. The music was nice, until we were there 5 minutes and then the CD started to skip and all that played was the last 5-10 seconds over, and over, and over, and over again. Needless to say, we were pretty good at humming along by the time we left!
The food was really good. Andrea loved the falafels, I think we're going to try and make them sometime at home. I also had the Chicken Shwarma...for those of you who've never had Mid East food...you gotta try it! It's wonderful. The tastes took me back to the winding, cramped alleys of the the West Bank. Would love to go back sometime. I just need to convince Andrea to go with me!
Today we're headed to the bratfest. We'll probably eat too much, but hey, that's what vacation is all about, right? We've also come to find out that during the summer, Madison has some sort of a festival every weekend, so if you're looking to go somewhere...that's always an option.
But I will warn you...if you live where you have to drive thru Chicago...be prepared to wait, and wait, and wait some more. That was my first driving experience thru downtown Chi-town and if I would never have to do that again...I really wouldn't mind at all! Our best friend on this trip so far is our GPS. It's been a life saver with directions. But I find myself not paying attention how I'm getting places.
We're off to the bratfest!
We had planned to go yesterday, but the forecast called for intermittent showers and we didn't really want to be in the rain all day. So instead, we headed to the Wollersheim Winery. It was absolutely gorgeous! From the drive there, to the winery itself, and back to the hotel, we noted several times how beautiful Wisconsin is. We never knew what it was like up here, but both said we could see ourselves living here. Don't get too excited though...no plans on moving quite yet!
We took a tour of the winery, and got to see the process and learned about different types of grapes, I took several pics, so I'll have to post them somewhere and let everyone look at them -- OR, everyone could come visit us and then we'd show you! :)
After our tour we were really hungry so we asked one of the employees if there was a good restaurant around and she pointed us in the direction of a nearby town. It was called the Blue Spoon Creamery Cafe. It was a simple little town, and they had soup, salad, and sandwiches. They had outdoor seating on the bank of the river so we had a gorgeous view while we ate!
We then came back to the hotel and relaxed before going out for the evening. Andrea has always wanted to eat falafels, so we looked up some Middle Eastern food on the 'net and found the King of Falafel restaurant in downtown Madison. It was a shady little place. We entered thru the back door, down a short hallway, and thru some swinging doors. The restaurant itself had about 12 tables, and there were a handful of people there with only 1 waiter. The music was nice, until we were there 5 minutes and then the CD started to skip and all that played was the last 5-10 seconds over, and over, and over, and over again. Needless to say, we were pretty good at humming along by the time we left!
The food was really good. Andrea loved the falafels, I think we're going to try and make them sometime at home. I also had the Chicken Shwarma...for those of you who've never had Mid East food...you gotta try it! It's wonderful. The tastes took me back to the winding, cramped alleys of the the West Bank. Would love to go back sometime. I just need to convince Andrea to go with me!
Today we're headed to the bratfest. We'll probably eat too much, but hey, that's what vacation is all about, right? We've also come to find out that during the summer, Madison has some sort of a festival every weekend, so if you're looking to go somewhere...that's always an option.
But I will warn you...if you live where you have to drive thru Chicago...be prepared to wait, and wait, and wait some more. That was my first driving experience thru downtown Chi-town and if I would never have to do that again...I really wouldn't mind at all! Our best friend on this trip so far is our GPS. It's been a life saver with directions. But I find myself not paying attention how I'm getting places.
We're off to the bratfest!
5.15.2009
Lunchtime!
One of the most exciting times of my day. but only when there's something good in my lunch box! Today it was leftover sloppy joes, pretzels, a diet dew, and some yogurt that tasted funny...it was supposed to be vanilla flavored, but didn't. Could it be because it sat in my lunchbox all day yesterday and when I got home all the ice was melted and it was kinda warm inside?? Hopefully the side effects aren't too severe.
If you couldn't tell already, yes I'm at work right now. They took away our personal email accounts, but I still have access to my blog (go figure). I'll give it a few weeks until I get banned from this too. Let's hear it for corporate policy!
Andrea and I are headed to Ohio ("O-H" -- "I-O" -- that was for all you Buckeye fans out there) for the weekend. We don't have specific plans, just relaxing with the fam.
I gotta keep this short 'cause I only get 1/2 hour for lunch. I'll write later. See you ohioans soon!
If you couldn't tell already, yes I'm at work right now. They took away our personal email accounts, but I still have access to my blog (go figure). I'll give it a few weeks until I get banned from this too. Let's hear it for corporate policy!
Andrea and I are headed to Ohio ("O-H" -- "I-O" -- that was for all you Buckeye fans out there) for the weekend. We don't have specific plans, just relaxing with the fam.
I gotta keep this short 'cause I only get 1/2 hour for lunch. I'll write later. See you ohioans soon!
4.30.2009
Thou shall not eat anything unclean...
Move over economic crisis...we have a brand new, more exciting headline to cover, it's called the Swine Flu! It's taken American (and the world) by storm! I've heard/read more about Swine Flu in the past week than I've heard about the regular (Human flu) in my entire life. Typically, every year, your local news channel will have a story about Flu season and the actions you can take to minimize your chances of getting it -- drink plenty of water, eat your veggies, get adequate sleep, etc. But with this Swine Flu, I'm supposed to all of this PLUS I have all these other restrictions -- don't shake hands with anyone (not very American, is it? You can tell a lot about a person by their handshake, now how am I supposed to know if I will be able to be friends with them?), use hand sanitizer, wash your hands 8 kajillion times a day, stay out of confined places, stay home (in extreme cases). So, what is a fella to do? Worry? nah, I figure I have just as good of a chance, if not better, at getting the human virus as the pig version. I probably won't change my eating habits. And personally, I'd rather hear news about the tanking economy than some swine!
I think my favorite story out of this whole fiasco is the headline out of Israel. They had a very conservative religious leader making a speech about the whole ordeal. Since even saying the word "swine" is unkosher, the Jewish nation has renamed it -- Mexican Flu. I guess the Jewish community isn't too worried about being politically correct. To say the least, I laughed for a couple of minutes after I heard that.
As of last week, I did not have swine flu. I went to the doc for a routine checkup and she gave me a clean bill of health.
Andrea and I are headed to Pennsylvania for the weekend. A weekend with the Skyrm's!! We'll be going with here dad, mom, and sister to Grove City. We're leaving about 7AM...and yes the coffee timer is set! I love that thing! One of her cousins goes to college there (same place her brother Jamie went) and they are having their annual talent show weekend. Supposedly it's huge and if you don't get there early, you don't get a seat. I have very high expectations for it! I must say that this isn't the ONLY reason we're going. I keep hearing that they have THE BEST outlet mall there, and I believe most of our day on Saturday (and money) will be spent there. As I'm writing this, I got to thinking...think of all those door handles, clothes, money, that people touch. That's just asking me to get the swine flu! ...and then, what about the place where the talent show is taking place? Won't that be considered a "confined space"? maybe we should reconsider...
Just think...if the swine flu gets too much more attention, April may become world Swine Flu Awareness month. ...Doug, there's an idea for the calendar you make every year for mom and dad.
One more note, this past weekend we were at Andrea's grandparent's house, and Andrea put their dog outside on a leash, well, the dog (Winnie) started digging to China so she got in trouble and Andrea went out to cover up the hole. In the process she found a couple of worms she wanted to keep to go fishing with. That's fine and well, but Andrea doesn't have a fishing pole (yet). So, she put them in a plastic bowl with dirt and a lid. We loosened the lid so the worms could breathe. Well, tonite I came home and was looking for something on the floor, and what do I see? next to the base of the black chair, there is a worm, shriveled up and rock hard. Then when Andrea gets home there is another one underneath her shoe. I haven't checked the dirt for worms, but isn't it ironic that there were only 2 worms??? I guess it's good that it rained all day so we can go out and find more.
Until next time, be good and stay away from the swine that have the flu!
I think my favorite story out of this whole fiasco is the headline out of Israel. They had a very conservative religious leader making a speech about the whole ordeal. Since even saying the word "swine" is unkosher, the Jewish nation has renamed it -- Mexican Flu. I guess the Jewish community isn't too worried about being politically correct. To say the least, I laughed for a couple of minutes after I heard that.
As of last week, I did not have swine flu. I went to the doc for a routine checkup and she gave me a clean bill of health.
Andrea and I are headed to Pennsylvania for the weekend. A weekend with the Skyrm's!! We'll be going with here dad, mom, and sister to Grove City. We're leaving about 7AM...and yes the coffee timer is set! I love that thing! One of her cousins goes to college there (same place her brother Jamie went) and they are having their annual talent show weekend. Supposedly it's huge and if you don't get there early, you don't get a seat. I have very high expectations for it! I must say that this isn't the ONLY reason we're going. I keep hearing that they have THE BEST outlet mall there, and I believe most of our day on Saturday (and money) will be spent there. As I'm writing this, I got to thinking...think of all those door handles, clothes, money, that people touch. That's just asking me to get the swine flu! ...and then, what about the place where the talent show is taking place? Won't that be considered a "confined space"? maybe we should reconsider...
Just think...if the swine flu gets too much more attention, April may become world Swine Flu Awareness month. ...Doug, there's an idea for the calendar you make every year for mom and dad.
One more note, this past weekend we were at Andrea's grandparent's house, and Andrea put their dog outside on a leash, well, the dog (Winnie) started digging to China so she got in trouble and Andrea went out to cover up the hole. In the process she found a couple of worms she wanted to keep to go fishing with. That's fine and well, but Andrea doesn't have a fishing pole (yet). So, she put them in a plastic bowl with dirt and a lid. We loosened the lid so the worms could breathe. Well, tonite I came home and was looking for something on the floor, and what do I see? next to the base of the black chair, there is a worm, shriveled up and rock hard. Then when Andrea gets home there is another one underneath her shoe. I haven't checked the dirt for worms, but isn't it ironic that there were only 2 worms??? I guess it's good that it rained all day so we can go out and find more.
Until next time, be good and stay away from the swine that have the flu!
4.19.2009
Sunday Sunday
It's been a rainy, cool, spring day. Not like the last two days which have been absolutely beautiful. It was just a tease because I just heard a while ago that on Tuesday, there is a chance for some snowflakes....welcome to my life in Indiana! There is one sure sign that warm weather has arrived in Indiana...you must again start swerving to miss all of the horse poop on the roads. I thought about writing to my congressman asking him to propose a fine for those that don't pick up after their modes of transportation. After all, we do expect people to pick up after their dogs/cats, and all gas stations have a sign posted that "you are responsible for spills", so doesn't it make sense that the Amish should take some ownership in keeping our planet clean and get the dung off the road? I'm not asking too much, right?
Yesterday was a gorgeous day. I spent my day sweeping out my car, which hadn't been done for probably 2 years, and then went golfing in the afternoon. For supper I grilled a couple T-bone steaks and roasted some asparagus in the oven -- scrumdiddlyumptious! Andrea made a lemon cake from scratch -- also just wonderful! I had suggested making a cake from a box, and she told me that she would rather make them from scratch, and like many of you reading this, no objection to that!
If you haven't noticed, I've added the major league baseball standings to my blog. After a couple of comments (OK, mainly just one - from my "MIL") I felt it necessary to keep track of things and come back to it occasionally. You must remember...anything that you comment on is here forever and you can't take it back. :)
We went up to our landlords' tonight to visit and see their new baby. They had another boy (#3), Jacob Henry. Andrea had been what I call stalking them for the past couple of weeks because she wanted to know if the baby had been born, and then wanted to see it. We had used their recipe for making pretzels, so we used that as our excuse to go upstairs and see the baby. We are going to make them supper and spend the evening with them in a couple of weeks. For one dish, we planned to make green bean casserole, but come to find out one of their boys, gagged/yakked on the stuff at Thanksgiving dinner last year, and we don't really want that to happen again!
Work continues to go well. We're entering our busy season and we've seen a slight increase in orders, so I guess our distributors are still expecting to travel. Even if people don't travel as far, as long as they stay at a hotel...that helps us! Andrea is finally done Tax Season!! YEAH! She had April 16th off (that's a company holiday) and then she took a vacation day on Friday, so she's hoping tomorrow she can find enough to do to keep her busy!
Hope everyone continues to be well! Talk to you in the next post!
Yesterday was a gorgeous day. I spent my day sweeping out my car, which hadn't been done for probably 2 years, and then went golfing in the afternoon. For supper I grilled a couple T-bone steaks and roasted some asparagus in the oven -- scrumdiddlyumptious! Andrea made a lemon cake from scratch -- also just wonderful! I had suggested making a cake from a box, and she told me that she would rather make them from scratch, and like many of you reading this, no objection to that!
If you haven't noticed, I've added the major league baseball standings to my blog. After a couple of comments (OK, mainly just one - from my "MIL") I felt it necessary to keep track of things and come back to it occasionally. You must remember...anything that you comment on is here forever and you can't take it back. :)
We went up to our landlords' tonight to visit and see their new baby. They had another boy (#3), Jacob Henry. Andrea had been what I call stalking them for the past couple of weeks because she wanted to know if the baby had been born, and then wanted to see it. We had used their recipe for making pretzels, so we used that as our excuse to go upstairs and see the baby. We are going to make them supper and spend the evening with them in a couple of weeks. For one dish, we planned to make green bean casserole, but come to find out one of their boys, gagged/yakked on the stuff at Thanksgiving dinner last year, and we don't really want that to happen again!
Work continues to go well. We're entering our busy season and we've seen a slight increase in orders, so I guess our distributors are still expecting to travel. Even if people don't travel as far, as long as they stay at a hotel...that helps us! Andrea is finally done Tax Season!! YEAH! She had April 16th off (that's a company holiday) and then she took a vacation day on Friday, so she's hoping tomorrow she can find enough to do to keep her busy!
Hope everyone continues to be well! Talk to you in the next post!
4.11.2009
Woe Is Me
At the beginning of the Spring season, I decided to get a membership at the local golf course. So, for the past three weeks I've tried to find some warm, calm days to go. These have been very hard to come by, but there have been a few. While I would much rather play by myself, or at least with someone I know, it's not always possible and I've had to play with several strangers. I do get to meet some new people, but 100% (so far) of them have been much better than me. It's very humbling. I'm not good by any means, but usually when I repeat something several times I eventually get better. Practice makes perfect, right? Nope. OK, so practice makes better. Not even close! No, practice hasn't helped me one bit yet. I must say that I still have fun. I get frustrated a lot, but as long as I can slam my golf club on the ground once or twice, I'm good to go. I'll be watching The Master's this weekend, so maybe I can pick up a few pointers.
We got our tax refunds last week. That's always a good feeling to get some $$ from the gov't. Although I felt they could have added about $100,000 to it so I could help stimulate their economy. But they didn't so I guess they'll have to wait for me to buy a new car, new house, new TV, and a new RV.
I did however buy a GPS system. I don't have it yet, I bought it early last week and with the holiday on Friday I have to wait until next week to get it. We thought it would be a good purchase since we have a several places we are going this summer. Plus, it will be helpful even around here when we go to South Bend. I don't know the area very well and Andera's sense of direction isn't exactly what you would call "good" so I think we'll get our money's worth. Andrea's work has mid-season and after tax season parties and they're always somewhere we've never been -- and we've had very bad luck with Mapquest. It can get us close, but not to the exact location -- and that's a problem, especially when there's free food!
Is anyone else excited that baseball season started??? I am! My prediction...Tigers sweep the Indians all season long! Anyone agree? :) Oh, and as for my Indiana readers: White Sox & Cubs might as well stay at spring training.
Enjoy the weekend!
Happy Easter!
We got our tax refunds last week. That's always a good feeling to get some $$ from the gov't. Although I felt they could have added about $100,000 to it so I could help stimulate their economy. But they didn't so I guess they'll have to wait for me to buy a new car, new house, new TV, and a new RV.
I did however buy a GPS system. I don't have it yet, I bought it early last week and with the holiday on Friday I have to wait until next week to get it. We thought it would be a good purchase since we have a several places we are going this summer. Plus, it will be helpful even around here when we go to South Bend. I don't know the area very well and Andera's sense of direction isn't exactly what you would call "good" so I think we'll get our money's worth. Andrea's work has mid-season and after tax season parties and they're always somewhere we've never been -- and we've had very bad luck with Mapquest. It can get us close, but not to the exact location -- and that's a problem, especially when there's free food!
Is anyone else excited that baseball season started??? I am! My prediction...Tigers sweep the Indians all season long! Anyone agree? :) Oh, and as for my Indiana readers: White Sox & Cubs might as well stay at spring training.
Enjoy the weekend!
Happy Easter!
4.01.2009
April Fools
Life has been pretty (un)eventful since I left you the last time. On Saturday I went to a Men's breakfast at our church, River Oaks Community. It started at 7:00AM...who the heck starts something on Saturday morning at 7 o'clock?? During the week I'm not even out of bed at 7. It's one of those things that I wanted to do and on the way there all I can think about is being in bed, sleeping -- like normal people on Saturday. But when I got there, they justified having it so early with the food. Homemade biscuits, grilled sausage patties, real scrambled eggs, fruit and the usual breakfast beverages. We had a speaker and he was a pilot. He asked if there were any other pilots in the audience...reluctantly I stuck my hand up. I say reluctantly because I haven't flown for about 3 years, so I was hoping that he wouldn't ask me any questions b/c I feel like I'm a bit rusty. Thankfully, no questions!
Later that day, I went to the Rec Center to work off my breakfast. I should have let it settle a little more because I could feel the food "slooshing" (got that word from my mother) around in my stomach...not the feeling you want when you're doing situps. Needless to say, my workout wasn't very intense.
On my way home I stopped at the library to get a book. I found the book I wanted, but ended up looking around for about 20 minutes. When i get to the checkout counter, the lady said "oh, you've been flagged in our system" My first thought was....Great! I have another late fee (thanks to Andrea). But to my surprise no, they tried to send me something in the mail and it was returned. They still had my address from the first place I lived in Goshen. They asked for something with my current address on it. I pulled out my driver's license and they look at their big map and proceed to tell me that I'm no longer in the township that the Goshen public library services. Apparently since I have a Goshen address and live in Jefferson Township I have to use the Middlebury Library as my home library, makes a lot of sense huh?. Here's the real kicker...once I have my library card (from Middlebury), I can still check out books in Goshen.
So I proceed to hop in my car and drive to Middlebury to get a card. I walked in and signed up and the lady said "Your card will be mailed to you in about a week" A week??? How does it take so long to make me a card? After the initial shock of a week, I said OK and walked away. But then I stopped and though, I came here to get a book, surely since they have my info, they can let me get my book. So, I go back to the desk and ask if I can still check out a book, and the librarian shook her head and gave me a look: half "No, I'm sorry" the other half "are you stupid??" I guess I didn't think it was such a dumb question...boy was I wrong -- just so everyone knows...there are dumb questions.
I currently have no library card, no book...and just as I was leaving the Goshen library she said "oh sir, one more thing...the computer also shows that you have some library fees" I owe $3.70....thanks Andrea!
Until next time
Later that day, I went to the Rec Center to work off my breakfast. I should have let it settle a little more because I could feel the food "slooshing" (got that word from my mother) around in my stomach...not the feeling you want when you're doing situps. Needless to say, my workout wasn't very intense.
On my way home I stopped at the library to get a book. I found the book I wanted, but ended up looking around for about 20 minutes. When i get to the checkout counter, the lady said "oh, you've been flagged in our system" My first thought was....Great! I have another late fee (thanks to Andrea). But to my surprise no, they tried to send me something in the mail and it was returned. They still had my address from the first place I lived in Goshen. They asked for something with my current address on it. I pulled out my driver's license and they look at their big map and proceed to tell me that I'm no longer in the township that the Goshen public library services. Apparently since I have a Goshen address and live in Jefferson Township I have to use the Middlebury Library as my home library, makes a lot of sense huh?. Here's the real kicker...once I have my library card (from Middlebury), I can still check out books in Goshen.
So I proceed to hop in my car and drive to Middlebury to get a card. I walked in and signed up and the lady said "Your card will be mailed to you in about a week" A week??? How does it take so long to make me a card? After the initial shock of a week, I said OK and walked away. But then I stopped and though, I came here to get a book, surely since they have my info, they can let me get my book. So, I go back to the desk and ask if I can still check out a book, and the librarian shook her head and gave me a look: half "No, I'm sorry" the other half "are you stupid??" I guess I didn't think it was such a dumb question...boy was I wrong -- just so everyone knows...there are dumb questions.
I currently have no library card, no book...and just as I was leaving the Goshen library she said "oh sir, one more thing...the computer also shows that you have some library fees" I owe $3.70....thanks Andrea!
Until next time
3.23.2009
Is Tax Season Over Yet?
22 Days and counting...for those of you who thought that Andrea was the only one counting down to April 15th, you were wrong! Why is that a lot of people see their coworkers more than their spouse/family? Something about that just isn't right.
I spent most of last weekend watching the NCAA tournament. It really doesn't get much better than 4 days of pure excitement. But as you know, the fun doesn't stop there, the games resume this Thursday. It's now Tuesday morning and today is my late day. At the beginning of the year we decided to have one person in the HR dept. stay late one day a week so that someone is there when the night shift employees are there. Since they work from 7PM to 7AM, we never got to see them and they would have to come in on their days off to see us, if needed. So, I've been going in at 11:30 AM and staying til 7:30 or 8 at night. It's nice to go in late, but when everyone else gets to go home at 4:30PM and I'm there alone, it's not a whole lot of fun! But I did kinda of volunteer to do this. Mainly b/c Tuesdays are basketball nights and that makes for one less extra trip into Goshen. I'm not sure how long we'll continue to do this because I've never had anyone come in and see me when I'm there late. I'll go out and walk around, but usually get the "what are you doing here" look, a little intimidating to say the least.
In the past 2 weeks, 2 of my best friends from high school had babies. I've been thinking, does that now make me the odd one out? Nah...the thing that makes me different is that I don't have a dog. Fish...but no dog. As Andrea would tell you "No dog, YET" But I keep telling her that it's hard to by sympathetic with her when we still live where we do, and neither of us are in the house buying mode yet.
Time to go to work...
I spent most of last weekend watching the NCAA tournament. It really doesn't get much better than 4 days of pure excitement. But as you know, the fun doesn't stop there, the games resume this Thursday. It's now Tuesday morning and today is my late day. At the beginning of the year we decided to have one person in the HR dept. stay late one day a week so that someone is there when the night shift employees are there. Since they work from 7PM to 7AM, we never got to see them and they would have to come in on their days off to see us, if needed. So, I've been going in at 11:30 AM and staying til 7:30 or 8 at night. It's nice to go in late, but when everyone else gets to go home at 4:30PM and I'm there alone, it's not a whole lot of fun! But I did kinda of volunteer to do this. Mainly b/c Tuesdays are basketball nights and that makes for one less extra trip into Goshen. I'm not sure how long we'll continue to do this because I've never had anyone come in and see me when I'm there late. I'll go out and walk around, but usually get the "what are you doing here" look, a little intimidating to say the least.
In the past 2 weeks, 2 of my best friends from high school had babies. I've been thinking, does that now make me the odd one out? Nah...the thing that makes me different is that I don't have a dog. Fish...but no dog. As Andrea would tell you "No dog, YET" But I keep telling her that it's hard to by sympathetic with her when we still live where we do, and neither of us are in the house buying mode yet.
Time to go to work...
3.11.2009
A Tragedy
This past Sunday our household said goodbye to a good friend. He came into my life via a gift from Jeff and Kris, and into Andrea's life via marriage. He is survived by 5 other fish and 2 owners. Services were held Sunday afternoon around 5:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the "cancerous fish foundation". We will miss our beloved friend.
Yes, we lost a member of our "family" but we knew it was coming. I think Andrea took it a little harder as she made me "push the handle". She said she couldn't do it! :) When we looked in the tank the fish was stuck to the suction of the filter, I got him off of that and it would swim for a while, and then it would go upside down for a while, and then it would act normal again. I think his nervous system was shutting down slowly. It was kinda pathetic to watch.
For those of you who are on my side of the family, you can be thinking about Andrea's brother Jaime. He is over in France working and they are beginning to be hit hard by the economic crisis. They are having mandatory shut downs and his future over there uncertain at this time. Please pray for him and the others that we works with. Hang in there J!
The other day I did something I didn't think I would ever do. I joined Facebook. Not sure why I caved in, but I did. Now I have something else to occupy my time while Andrea is working late. I must admit it's fun to see what all of my high school and college friends are up to nowadays. Now if I can just convince them to be my "friend"!
Hope everyone's week is going well!
Yes, we lost a member of our "family" but we knew it was coming. I think Andrea took it a little harder as she made me "push the handle". She said she couldn't do it! :) When we looked in the tank the fish was stuck to the suction of the filter, I got him off of that and it would swim for a while, and then it would go upside down for a while, and then it would act normal again. I think his nervous system was shutting down slowly. It was kinda pathetic to watch.
For those of you who are on my side of the family, you can be thinking about Andrea's brother Jaime. He is over in France working and they are beginning to be hit hard by the economic crisis. They are having mandatory shut downs and his future over there uncertain at this time. Please pray for him and the others that we works with. Hang in there J!
The other day I did something I didn't think I would ever do. I joined Facebook. Not sure why I caved in, but I did. Now I have something else to occupy my time while Andrea is working late. I must admit it's fun to see what all of my high school and college friends are up to nowadays. Now if I can just convince them to be my "friend"!
Hope everyone's week is going well!
2.28.2009
Paczki Week!
Before I begin, I feel like I need to set everyone straight. My fish do NOT lack personality, as previously stated. They are just under appreciated :). Anyone who has seen them knows that they are always excited to see you when you walk into the room.
Did everyone eat their paczki this week on Fat Tuesday? I sure did (actually I ate 3 or 4 b/c they're really good), it's become a tradition every year for me ever since I learned what they were. And no, I didn't eat them all in one day. It just gave me another reason to get myself the the gym and run a little.
For those of you that didn't know, my mother celebrated her XXth (you're welcome, Mom) birthday this past week. Now mom isn't the most technological person and she would be the first to admit this, but she is now the proud owner of her very own ipod / eyepod. Everyone will need to ask her how she likes it!
This morning Andrea went to Ladies Retreat at our church. She was going to be a model in a fashion show and was very nervous about it. I guess there is a movie about 27 dresses??? Pretty sure that it's a chic flick, and they were going to be modeling different bride's maid dresses that have appeared in the past couple of decades. Needless to say, she agreed to model for them, but then was complaining the rest of the week that she didn't want to do it. I'm sure that she'll do just fine!
I think tonight we might be going to one of my coworker's church. They are having their annual fish/chicken fry, all you can eat. I thought that sounded pretty good, now it just depends what time Andrea gets home from work. After that I think it's time to do some grocery shopping. There isn't a whole lot left in the fridge, except for condiments, but those aren't too filling by themselves.
Have a great weekend everyone! Talk to you in March!
Did everyone eat their paczki this week on Fat Tuesday? I sure did (actually I ate 3 or 4 b/c they're really good), it's become a tradition every year for me ever since I learned what they were. And no, I didn't eat them all in one day. It just gave me another reason to get myself the the gym and run a little.
For those of you that didn't know, my mother celebrated her XXth (you're welcome, Mom) birthday this past week. Now mom isn't the most technological person and she would be the first to admit this, but she is now the proud owner of her very own ipod / eyepod. Everyone will need to ask her how she likes it!
This morning Andrea went to Ladies Retreat at our church. She was going to be a model in a fashion show and was very nervous about it. I guess there is a movie about 27 dresses??? Pretty sure that it's a chic flick, and they were going to be modeling different bride's maid dresses that have appeared in the past couple of decades. Needless to say, she agreed to model for them, but then was complaining the rest of the week that she didn't want to do it. I'm sure that she'll do just fine!
I think tonight we might be going to one of my coworker's church. They are having their annual fish/chicken fry, all you can eat. I thought that sounded pretty good, now it just depends what time Andrea gets home from work. After that I think it's time to do some grocery shopping. There isn't a whole lot left in the fridge, except for condiments, but those aren't too filling by themselves.
Have a great weekend everyone! Talk to you in March!
2.22.2009
My First Blog...
Hello everyone! This is my first blogging experience, so you will have to bear with me... I have to be in the perfect mood to talk on the phone (a mood which vary rarely occurs), and as such I love the idea of keeping in touch via a blog. Mind you, the blogs I have read in the past always seem to be filled with random stories of intrigue and foreign adventures. Living in Northern Indiana with no children, a couple of fish who lack personality and no dog, life doesn't get too overly adventurous or intriguing. But B and I enjoy each day we spend together and the little, everyday things that have come to mean so much to us. (So J, we currently will be leaving the intriguing, foreign adventures all up to you bucko... think you can handle that:)
And a heads up, I grew up in a family environment where one or two syllable nicknames were used with frequency. Early on in our dating relationship, my mom started calling Brian "B". It has since stuck, and this is how I usually refer to Brian. My brother Jamie is "J".
Highlights of the past week:
We currently are the owners of 5 fish; though Brian enjoys these fish, I wouldn't exactly call them his "pride and joy". Anyway, we are still experiencing an ongoing saga with one of our fish. The poor things has developed a horrific, continuously expanding orange and white tumor protruding out of the side of its head. Though this is not new news, it continues to increase in size. Earlier this week a bubble emerged on the top of the tumor, but has since popped. Mind you this is the happiest fish in the tank, but I'm afraid that soon it will no longer be able to efficiently swim due to the excess weight on the right side of its head. (See picture posted below). It seems like every time I run into my mom and my grandparents, at least one question is posed regarding the sick fish, the current size of its tumor, and its swimming abilities. Since it has proved a fascinating conversation in the past, I thought I would keep all of you abreast of the situation at hand.
Moving on - as most of you know I am currently in the middle of tax season. This year's season started out slower than normal, whereas I was only working 50-55 hour weeks. It was enjoyable while it lasted, but I did keep warning B that this was not normal. This past week finally felt "normal" for tax season. I was able to work 65 hours in only 5 days, which is an "accomplishment" ('tis the Season). I didn't get home until 10pm on Friday night, but it did mean that I didn't have to work at all on Saturday. I woke up and said hello to B when he got home from hanging out with the boys a little after midnight and then fell asleep.
Grandma Hoover and I had a jewelry class on Saturday morning from 9-12pm at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds, which I had been looking forward to all week. We had a wonderful time! We each made a beaded necklace for ourselves, enjoyed some quality "girl-time", and lunch was provided which is never a bad thing! I love grandparents:)
After the jewelry class, I met B at the fitness center and we worked out together, which was really nice since we hadn't seen each other much all week! Then I stopped at the library on my way home to get a stock pile of magazines to look at while B watched sports on Sunday. (Girl magazines get me through B's sports seasons. One of the many reasons our marriage works:) After that, it was time to clean the house (our tiny apartment takes a whole 45 minutes to thoroughly clean from top to bottom. I don't know what I am going to do when we buy a house... During tax season, B is on dish duty and I clean and do laundry. I'm getting used to not having to wash dishes...I may forget how to do them completely when tax season is over. Poor Brian!) That night our church was having a "date night" and showing Fireproof. We helped out with book sales before and after the movie. Popcorn, pop, and candy were all included in the $2.50 ticket price. We really enjoyed the movie, and made it through without tears (which I was pretty proud of).
This is turning into a novel, and I really should let everyone go. We are taking it easy this afternoon, and I will be making a shrimp and broccoli fried rice recipe I got out of a Cooking Light magazine. Cooking still is a bit of an adventure for me, so we shall see how this baby turns out.
Everyone have a wonderful week! God bless.
And a heads up, I grew up in a family environment where one or two syllable nicknames were used with frequency. Early on in our dating relationship, my mom started calling Brian "B". It has since stuck, and this is how I usually refer to Brian. My brother Jamie is "J".
Highlights of the past week:
We currently are the owners of 5 fish; though Brian enjoys these fish, I wouldn't exactly call them his "pride and joy". Anyway, we are still experiencing an ongoing saga with one of our fish. The poor things has developed a horrific, continuously expanding orange and white tumor protruding out of the side of its head. Though this is not new news, it continues to increase in size. Earlier this week a bubble emerged on the top of the tumor, but has since popped. Mind you this is the happiest fish in the tank, but I'm afraid that soon it will no longer be able to efficiently swim due to the excess weight on the right side of its head. (See picture posted below). It seems like every time I run into my mom and my grandparents, at least one question is posed regarding the sick fish, the current size of its tumor, and its swimming abilities. Since it has proved a fascinating conversation in the past, I thought I would keep all of you abreast of the situation at hand.
Moving on - as most of you know I am currently in the middle of tax season. This year's season started out slower than normal, whereas I was only working 50-55 hour weeks. It was enjoyable while it lasted, but I did keep warning B that this was not normal. This past week finally felt "normal" for tax season. I was able to work 65 hours in only 5 days, which is an "accomplishment" ('tis the Season). I didn't get home until 10pm on Friday night, but it did mean that I didn't have to work at all on Saturday. I woke up and said hello to B when he got home from hanging out with the boys a little after midnight and then fell asleep.
Grandma Hoover and I had a jewelry class on Saturday morning from 9-12pm at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds, which I had been looking forward to all week. We had a wonderful time! We each made a beaded necklace for ourselves, enjoyed some quality "girl-time", and lunch was provided which is never a bad thing! I love grandparents:)After the jewelry class, I met B at the fitness center and we worked out together, which was really nice since we hadn't seen each other much all week! Then I stopped at the library on my way home to get a stock pile of magazines to look at while B watched sports on Sunday. (Girl magazines get me through B's sports seasons. One of the many reasons our marriage works:) After that, it was time to clean the house (our tiny apartment takes a whole 45 minutes to thoroughly clean from top to bottom. I don't know what I am going to do when we buy a house... During tax season, B is on dish duty and I clean and do laundry. I'm getting used to not having to wash dishes...I may forget how to do them completely when tax season is over. Poor Brian!) That night our church was having a "date night" and showing Fireproof. We helped out with book sales before and after the movie. Popcorn, pop, and candy were all included in the $2.50 ticket price. We really enjoyed the movie, and made it through without tears (which I was pretty proud of).
This is turning into a novel, and I really should let everyone go. We are taking it easy this afternoon, and I will be making a shrimp and broccoli fried rice recipe I got out of a Cooking Light magazine. Cooking still is a bit of an adventure for me, so we shall see how this baby turns out.
Everyone have a wonderful week! God bless.
2.18.2009
Wastin' Time
For those of you who don't have to put yourselves through the agony of watching Notre Dame basketball...take a minute to be thankful (go ahead, yell and clap a little)!!! After my daily does of Jeopardy the only thing on was the Notre Dame game. Reluctantly, I watched and to my enjoyment, they lost...AGAIN. OK, so I know the Buckeyes aren't doing a whole lot better. However, I must point out that the Buckeyes did beat Notre Dame and they beat Michigan twice, and for me, I don't need much else out of my team!
I'm currently watching LOST. I'm hooked again, I had missed a season or two but have since caught back up and up to date again. Andrea isn't going to be home for another hour, so after it's over I'm going to have to find something else to do.
Tomorrow morning is one of the monthly meetings put on by the Goshen Chamber of Commerce. It's on the national and local economies. It's very interesting and a good way to get to know a few people in the local community. And besides...I get paid to go! the only catch is that it starts at 7:30AM which means getting up a little bit earlier. They do provide coffee which always helps in the AM.
We're being told that it's going to snow again. But I wouldn't expect anything else from winter in Indiana. This is the time I really miss going on Spring Break to somewhere warm, but I'm really glad I don't have to study for exams before I go on vacation anymore.
Have a great evening! B
I'm currently watching LOST. I'm hooked again, I had missed a season or two but have since caught back up and up to date again. Andrea isn't going to be home for another hour, so after it's over I'm going to have to find something else to do.
Tomorrow morning is one of the monthly meetings put on by the Goshen Chamber of Commerce. It's on the national and local economies. It's very interesting and a good way to get to know a few people in the local community. And besides...I get paid to go! the only catch is that it starts at 7:30AM which means getting up a little bit earlier. They do provide coffee which always helps in the AM.
We're being told that it's going to snow again. But I wouldn't expect anything else from winter in Indiana. This is the time I really miss going on Spring Break to somewhere warm, but I'm really glad I don't have to study for exams before I go on vacation anymore.
Have a great evening! B
2.12.2009
"This Is Jeopardy"
Hopefully you read the heading with the voice of the guy that says this (Johnny Gilbert). After tonight I feel like I am well qualified to be on the show. My basis for this is that I have gotten more Final Jeopardy answers (or is is questions? -- I always get that mixed up) correct the past 2 weeks than I think I ever have AND tonight I got it right and none of the contestants did...wish I would have had the chance to win $20,000 (although it would probably be more than that) :)
Apparently Valentine's Day is in a couple of days...lucky for me it's in the middle of Tax Season!! One of the best things to come out of tax season -- that and the hopefulne$$ of a big refund!
OK, so maybe it's a bigger deal than that, Andrea and I are planning on making dinner at home and actually getting to spend some time together.
Andrea's been on a puppy kick lately. After church on Sunday we went out to eat at Burger King and there just happened to be a guy in the Walmart parking lot selling french poodles. So my car somehow turned in and stopped to have a look see. Lori's car also turned in. And I have to admit I was the only one that didn't give the Skyrm "aaawwwww!" Growing up in a mostly male home we weren't real emotional...I think some of my bros can relate. Needless to say, I'm still glad we are renting and are unable to have a dog right now. Someday we'll have one, but not right now.
Hope everyone's have a wonderous week! Tomorrow's Friday! TTYL!
Apparently Valentine's Day is in a couple of days...lucky for me it's in the middle of Tax Season!! One of the best things to come out of tax season -- that and the hopefulne$$ of a big refund!
OK, so maybe it's a bigger deal than that, Andrea and I are planning on making dinner at home and actually getting to spend some time together.
Andrea's been on a puppy kick lately. After church on Sunday we went out to eat at Burger King and there just happened to be a guy in the Walmart parking lot selling french poodles. So my car somehow turned in and stopped to have a look see. Lori's car also turned in. And I have to admit I was the only one that didn't give the Skyrm "aaawwwww!" Growing up in a mostly male home we weren't real emotional...I think some of my bros can relate. Needless to say, I'm still glad we are renting and are unable to have a dog right now. Someday we'll have one, but not right now.
Hope everyone's have a wonderous week! Tomorrow's Friday! TTYL!
2.05.2009
Just Another Day...
Good news...I know it's been hard to come by in recent months. And yesterday was no different. It was announced that Elkhart county has the highest unemployment rate in Indiana (15.3%) and at a meeting I attended this morning they said that the Elkhart/Goshen area had the 3rd highest rate in the country. (http://www.cnbc.com/id/29013828/for/cnbc/) Of all the towns, cities, villages, etc. we are literally living right in the middle of it. At work, I've heard countless stories of people being laid off and worst part about it is no one is hiring. Today I looked in the newspaper, and I've never seen the classifieds so empty. Needless to say, I wake up every morning being VERY thankful that I have a place to go and happily do my job. Often I ask, why am I so fortunate? I don't know the answer to that, but I'm not taking it for granted.
Andrea and I thought it would be fun to start a blog. Since we don't talk to everyone in the family very often we felt this might be a way to communicate the goings on in our lives. We'll try real hard to update it often. And you are more than welcome to leave comments as you wish...or you could start your own blog too! No pressure though...
This first post, I'll speak for Andrea and me. She (and me) is in the middle of tax season. So that means long hours at the office for her, and long hours at home alone for me. It hasn't been too bad yet. I expected it to be a lot worse, but then again Andrea said that she isn't overly busy yet so there's still time for that to change. I spend time at the gym, watching TV, reading (occasionally), and washing a lot of dishes. Apparently I'm really good at it. If you ask me, it's an excuse for a certain someone to get out of that chore!
We watched the Super Bowl last Sunday. We just stayed home and fried some chicken wings for supper. We love our deep fryer! It was a pretty good game. I was torn about who I wanted to win so I'm glad it was close with an exciting ending. I thought the commercials were mediocre -- and that's a generous adjective for them.
This concludes the first post. Hope you enjoy and visit regualarly. Hope everyone is going well!
Andrea and I thought it would be fun to start a blog. Since we don't talk to everyone in the family very often we felt this might be a way to communicate the goings on in our lives. We'll try real hard to update it often. And you are more than welcome to leave comments as you wish...or you could start your own blog too! No pressure though...
This first post, I'll speak for Andrea and me. She (and me) is in the middle of tax season. So that means long hours at the office for her, and long hours at home alone for me. It hasn't been too bad yet. I expected it to be a lot worse, but then again Andrea said that she isn't overly busy yet so there's still time for that to change. I spend time at the gym, watching TV, reading (occasionally), and washing a lot of dishes. Apparently I'm really good at it. If you ask me, it's an excuse for a certain someone to get out of that chore!
We watched the Super Bowl last Sunday. We just stayed home and fried some chicken wings for supper. We love our deep fryer! It was a pretty good game. I was torn about who I wanted to win so I'm glad it was close with an exciting ending. I thought the commercials were mediocre -- and that's a generous adjective for them.
This concludes the first post. Hope you enjoy and visit regualarly. Hope everyone is going well!
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