FontNerd

May Update

2009-05-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the lack of blogging these days - I'm sure no one even reads this anymore after weeks of absolutely no news...

I started a new job on 4/20 - working for our church. What a rewarding experience it's been so far. I have no regrets even as I adjust to a work life and a faith life that cross paths (and the big dip in salary is an adjustment as well, but what a testimony of what God is capable of doing.) Our steps the last few years have somewhat defied logic (house purchased at the height of real estate prices, SUV purchased when gas was over $4/gal, a salary cut almost in half during the worst recession in recent history) - again, we'd not be able to thrive without God.

Our students are about to graduate - sniff sniff. The first group of high school seniors that we have been teaching in Sunday School are all set to bolt outta here. I'm super proud of the people they are, the decisions they are making for their futures, and how they live out their faith daily. I'm planning their senior recognition breakfast and church service now that I am on staff, but clearly I want it to be even more meaningful since I know each one so personally and treasure this special time as they are celebrated.

Tim has been gone the entire month of May - in fact he left on 4/27 and comes home FINALLY on 5/22. It's been a rough go of it for us as he's been gone - only because of schedules. Making time for each other when you're as busy as we are is hard even when you're in the same house - let alone states apart. With the new job responsibilities I've not been able to go visit so I think we're both just over it all ;)

We're looking at painting the outside of the house - it might be the last big undertaking of house repairs. Thankfully our city has a program where they give out free exterior paint, up to 15 gallons.... of course, there are restrictions - such as the strange array of colors to choose from: off-white, beige, gray, terra cotta and aqua... so South Florida to have an aqua house. I think I will try to use my next Friday off to look at the colors and once Tim's home we can see about painting before it gets too hot - we might hire a few deserving students who are trying to earn theyr way to summer camp. I love "slave labor". And who am I kidding about "too hot" - it's been over 90 degrees every day this week and it's only May...

That's all the updates I have I guess.

Article: Don't confuse money with happiness

2009-04-07T07:55:00.000-07:00

A small excerpt from a great article on CNN.com today, which gave me peace having made the tough choice to give up a lucrative career to pursue something I know I'm going to love:

[The economy] is what it is.

And when we wake up in the morning we are left with the question, "Now what?"

It's actually a great question, because in a situation in which we've lost control, it gives us a little back. "Now what?" means we have a choice, in this moment, to do something. What's it going to be?

I think it's a mistake to try to rebuild what we've lost. We have less now and I think we can do better with less. Having less forces choices. And consciously making those choices can bring us closer to the things we care about. Which can make a poorer life richer than a rich one.

Because the research is clear. Above a basic threshold, more money doesn't make us happier. But we think it will, so we do all sorts of things that make us unhappy in order to get it.

A senior leader in an investment bank called to tell me she was leaving her job. She realized she wouldn't make much money in the next few years and didn't want to miss her children growing up. Did you get that? She was willing to miss her children growing up if the money was good enough.

People act in ways they'd rather not in order to make money that doesn't make them happy. Maybe, if we do this downturn right, we can get out of that cycle.

So, what makes you happy? Is it spending time with people you love? Working on a pet project? Having the time to exercise? Being part of a community and feeling cared for? Knowing the answer enables you to make decisions that will prioritize those things.

Of course, losing money can break people apart; we fight about money, people lose jobs and get depressed; tension rises as mortgage bills sit on the kitchen table unpaid; resentment builds when one person doesn't live up to his own and others' expectations.

But I am also seeing the opposite. Losing money can bring you closer to your values; can actually bring people together. It's hard to appreciate in the midst of our loss, but embracing the forced reduction in lifestyle can be positive.

Finally free!

2009-04-02T06:58:00.001-07:00

Well, I did it – I put in my letter of resignation today. What a burden that has been lifted! If I've not shared much on my blog it's because it's so public and this has been a private struggle. My company declared bankruptcy in August and even before that it was a painful place to work as people began being laid off in October 2007 when my then boss was let go and I was handed most of her responsiblities as the lead communications person. They put a technology vice president in charge of marketing and it hasnt been the same since.

The look on my supervisor’s face was priceless. I hadn’t planned on discussing my new plans - but you know they are going to ask, and as the shock continued and she didn’t speak I felt I had to fill the air and at least answer the only question she was able to form at the time.

I've accepted a position at our church as the Student Ministry Assistant. I told her this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And she didn’t bat an eye when I put in my letter my last day will be next Thursday – take Good Friday off and the rest of Easter week to enjoy my husband, paint the house (maybe) and take a few days to go away – our last hoorah for a while…

I guess I’ve never had a job pay me for something that was enjoyable enough that I’d do it for free – and I’m pretty much doing a lot of similar things already for free for this ministry. I would love to know how great it could be waking up wanting to go to work. And to work with people I respect, with a mission that I wholeheartedly support will be life changing.

I’m a comfort junkie, and even though this current place is evil right now, I know my job and I do it well – it’s just my heart isn’t it in anymore -- meaning I’m not longer doing my best, and doing sub-par quality work to collect a check doesn’t make me proud of what I do. Work done well honors the Lord, and I’m not even doing that anymore.

I’ve never worked in a ministry before – I know there will be great fellowship and accountability of faith, which I do crave working with and for other Christians. The question becomes one of getting over myself (going down to an “admin asst” position from where I am now as a communications director, but what my company has done with my duties has turned my position basically into a glorified admin anyway, but I have a snazzier title and pay), and working “for” friends.

The only down sides I can see are:

seeing the church personnel for who they really are
working FT for what could feel like PT pay
the commute is a bit longer and more traffic depending on the hours and which route I choose
the difficult balance between the work of the church and the fellowship of the church
Not sure yet how this would affect the teaching we currently do Sundays or the work with the band

The pluses:

I would get a chance to be creative again, designing flyers as needed, doing event coordination, and almost being a big kid.
In the summer they like to plan events for the students so a “work day” could involve a fellowship day at the beach.
I’d be getting paid to do things I already do for free
Assisting the church is doing a role that could have eternal significance to a student who may come to know Christ as a result
The growth I could experience spiritually by sitting under the leadership our of pastor – staff does mandatory devotionals Tuesday mornings and I’m ready to learn
The position is pretty secure and the church has yet to experience a lay off
Everything is done in the light – no secrecy, conflicts are handled, meetings may be frequent but that is to keep all parties informed
I love the staff already – these people cared for me in my hardest days (dad’s death, MS diagnosis, blindness, etc)

So there you have it. My departure is schedule and I'm excited and scared, ready and not ready. But I trust the Lord, I thank my husband for partnering with me on this journey and I don't know what lies ahead, but I'm sure ready to find out. Pray with me and for me as I depart from this place (4/9) and make a new career serving the church and the Lord full time (4/20) Eeeek!

Update on the front yard

2009-03-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

First, yes I did hit my head on a tree in the front yard and gave myself a concussion... but I'm better now. What a fun trip to the ER that was (a day later). Man what a fierce headache! It took the rest of the week to feel better.

Pics of the front (and the tree offender)

And pics from the "Rock Band and board game party" we attended this weekend with our high school seniors that we teach at church - they are a blast!

House color inspiration

2009-03-16T11:50:00.001-07:00

This house is several blocks from our home but I pass by it each day on my commute and watched it as it was built- I just love the mocha and cholocate brown on the gutters and front door, with the cream colored trim on the roof line and windows ... maybe once Tim sees this he will see my vision.

My landscaper rocks!

2009-03-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

Mulch in the back went in on Friday. We still have minor adjustments to make - and we had to teach Cooper he can't run on it like he wants... but at least he's not trying to eat it.

They make supplements for dogs to make their urine not ruin the grass - going to get some tomorrow! I also purchased a few landscape lights and once I make sure they glow like I want (amber instead of LED bright blue/white) I'll get more for the rest of the back and the front.

So excited! I was so motivated with the changes going on outside that I finally adjusted the height of the mirror that has hung in our entry way since we purchased the house 4 years ago (so I can finally apply lipstick on the way out) - and I hung the planter sconces I've owned for more than a year.

Now, to select an exterior wall color and accent color - the trim will remain white/cream but I want to do the front and back door and back shutters a dark color, either dark coffee brown or black.

So many choices!

Even a lizard tried to place his vote:

New green carpet

2009-03-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

I forgot what my yard looked like with grass considering it never had that much to begin with, and what little it did have Cooper made sure to trample down to nothingness.

I came home yesterday to a sea of green in my back yard - how awesome is this looking!

Mulching is next along with the final touches on the front!

A lot to update, but nothing to say

2009-03-12T07:19:00.000-07:00

It's been more than a month since my last post so I don't even know where to start. Instead, I will show a little of the progress that's been going on at my house now that we finally hired a friend's landscaping company...

Just wait until we paint the outside - it will be a totally new place inside and out!

The back:

The front - we removed a hurricane shutter on the master bedroom window, and can't wait to select the final paint color. Who's ready to come down and roll? Ha!

The brick trim remains to be completed - then flowers, shrubs and mulch. It's looking so good and SO low maintenance which is a MUST when you have two busy career people like us.

Long overdue

2009-02-06T07:41:00.000-08:00

I dont even know where to start. An update is long overdue - so much has been happening in our typically-quiet life, and frankly we've been keeping some secrets from our adoring readers.

First, we've been preparing to make a big move. Tim accepted a promotion which was to move us to the D.C. area - we were excited at the prospect but freaked out by the logistics (ok, I was freaked out because let's be honest, the actual MOVE was going to be solely my responsibility). Tim is the dreamer, and I am the doer. The only negative had been how hard we worked to get our house back to livable to then be leaving. When the promotion was offered it was presented with the assumption we would qualify for the company to buy our home if it didn't sell in 90 days. This has been the policy since the beginning of time.

I think we all know Change has come to Washington... blah blah. With this new "change" came the news that we would not qualify for any assistance in actually getting to where Tim's new job would be. With the market the way it is we were facing a possible $60,000 loss on our home - and that's IF we could even sell it. Fat chance in today's economy, especially in our area where the crack house across the street just sold as a foreclosure for $75,000. This doesn't help my property value or the prospect of any sale for us.

Long story short, it was becoming clear that maybe God wants us to remain here. Our life here is good - we have amazing friends, we're close enough to visit family, our church is wonderful - we both have jobs that sustain us, we have a home we can afford -- all signs were pointing to saying "thanks but no thanks".

As much as it breaks my heart to think Tim had to pass on a promotion to do what he loves, he's at peace with the entire situation mainly because he knows it's what's right for our family - and there is a likelihood he could be promoted here in the field and still get the raise in pay, recognition for his abilities, and we could be positioned in a better financial state if we stay here knowing that our ultimate goal is for me to leave the full-time corporate world to pursue other avenues of fulfillment.

So, it's the end of a dream in a way - but a great opening to possibilities here. We already have more irons in the fire as it pertains to our personal life, which will be another update for another day.

Now you're in the know...

Kudos to Tim

2009-01-21T11:39:00.001-08:00

I just had to drop off some recent pics - Tim started a commitment to getting healthier and I'm amazed at his transformation... it's been about 11 or 12 weeks now. And through a program that has taken a lot of commitment he's lost more than 40 lbs and he's down about 3 pants sizes.

Before (in August with our college's football coach):

And in October at a family wedding:

During (Thanksgiving weekend):

Last weekend:

The never-ending project

2009-01-20T12:12:00.000-08:00

Again, I promise this IS an improvement. If we didnt have jobs we'd be a lot closer to a nice yard. Everywhere you see dirt imagine nice, lush grass.

The complete yard:

And a little treat we bought ourselves to celebrate all our hard work and surviving the nightmare at our house the last 5 months:

A photo update of our backyard

2009-01-12T09:36:00.000-08:00

I'm so sore and tired I can't even give a narrative update. Just wanted to drop some pics and say big thanks to Andrew for the help this weekend...

The "study"

2009-01-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

A big improvement huh? This is Tim's new study.

Believe me ... this IS an improvement

2009-01-04T18:47:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has been to our house knows the gay guy who owned the place before us LOVED to plant and garden - and he created an outdoor oasis in the back yard. Needless to say, it's been almost 4 years since we bought the house and with our schedules and lack of passion for yard work (oh and 2 years of back to back record-setting hurricane seasons which destroyed trees, landscape lighting, and 2 hot tub gazebos) the yard is a disaster.

We finally made the decision to get rid of a lot of what used to occupy the areas. First, a point of reference - when we bought the house:

After a hurricane (which one, eh who knows)

During and after most of the demo (and the HUGE piles out for trash tomorrow):

we also pressure washed the tile patio and bricks and I painted a fresh coat of white on the garage french doors.

Before the washing:

And now:

Doors (right one is the before, left represents the after)

And the things you find when you start to dig - there was a gorilla in the midst:

There were pavers behind the hot tub (apparently the guy also put an in-ground spa above ground and built a surround??)

And here's the result - our back yard is now essentially in the front. Wonder how much the city will cite us for this pile? Did I mention there is a smaller one on the other side too?

Does it have to end?

2008-12-27T18:23:00.000-08:00

We had such a great holiday, I don't want it to end! Sure, we had to work on Christmas Eve (which always feels pointless...) and a package with our gifts from my mom were to be delivered so we waited, and waited, and finally the FedEx guy showed, we opened our gifts and headed north...

We arrived at Tim's parents' place around midnight, and couldnt think of a better thing to do than to go ahead and open more gifts so we could sleep in on Christmas morning! So we did exactly that! Which is why we look so tired in these photos:

By the way, I invite you to view my Christmas and Disney World album here:

http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/Kekukila/Christmas%202008/

Christmas morning was a nice and relaxing one, had a delicious dinner at 1:30, played some Wii bowling, and made sure to get more sleep because the fam was going to DISNEY the next morning.

The nine of us headed to Orlando early Friday for the boys' first trip to the Magic Kingdom. I'm not sure who had more fun, the adults or the kids?

Just a few pics from the day (again, tons more pics in my online album which is located here: http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/Kekukila/Christmas%202008/ )

Immediate Post-Injection Reaction

2008-12-24T08:49:00.001-08:00

This post is as much for me and my flaky mind (so I can remember when something happened) as it is for your education and enjoyment...

Monday night I experienced something that I knew was a risk of the injectable medication I take... thankfully I was prepared - but you're never really "prepared" for something like this.

Some patients have reported an immediate postinjection reaction characterized by flushing or chest tightness with heart palpitations, anxiety and difficulty breathing immediately after using COPAXONE. -- From Copaxone patient literature.

I was injecting my left thigh which is usually a comfortable and easy spot for me to do myself. I was actually pleased at how little the stick hurt and I was also pleased with my technique... but within seconds of injecting my chest and neck felt tight, my face and chest turned bright red. I then experienced chest pain and pain in my abs and lower back. My head felt like it was going to pop off my body. I can only imagine what my blood pressure must have been. Tim was right in the room and saw my face turn as red as the sharps container I use to discard the needles. He rushed over to take my pulse and turn on the A/C so I could get some relief. We both knew what was happening and I was surprisingly calm about the entire thing, even though it was a MAJOR situation of discomfort.

I sat and did slow deep breathing and did my best to relax but it was very, very scary. The whole thing lasted ten minutes. I felt a big thick band drawing tighter and tighter around my chest and around my pounding heart. Sometime after that, after the tightness and the pain and the sickness had subsided (yeah, did I mention the vomiting? No, ok then I won't ...) and I'd turned in for the night, the chills hit. I guess the sudden spike and fall of my body temperature brings on the shakes.

With MS you have so many strange things going on everyday with your body that you feel like a crazy person if you tell your doctor about every new thing that happens (and they look at you like you are crazy!). So I will call the nurse with the drug company support services to at least document that I am in the 10% of patients who experience this fun reaction...

Now, on the celebrate Christmas :)

Somehow the fun continues

2008-12-09T07:25:00.000-08:00

My coworkers are a hoot - they had a little fun at my expense. I took off the Thursday, Friday and Monday surrounding my birthday but that didn't stop them...

And what's wrong with a little brownie for breakfast? I say "nothing!"

The account of my AWESOME 30th birthday

2008-12-07T16:36:00.000-08:00

If getting old can be considered fun then I had the most fun possible to ring in the start to my 30th year of life. My celebrations really started on Wednesday night when I worked my last hours for that week, got to hostess at the Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant, and then crashed hard knowing I could sleep on Thursday until my body woke itself up. I needed sleep badly, as it appears by body had been slowly trying to tell me to slow down. Work has been so high stress lately (doing the job of 4 people tends to do that...)

After sleeping until well past 11am, I got up and really spent much of the day just working inside the house - laundry, cleaning, painting, and other random necessary tasks. I worked the show that night as well, and Friday Tim was home to hang with me - we did a bunch of errands, some more housework, but really just spent a lot of time together until it was time to work the pageant again.

Our family (Tim's parents) came down Friday night in time to catch the second act of the pageant which was a treat because my hostess duties were done and I snuck over to watch it with them.

Saturday we had nothing really planned, but knew we wanted to do few things in town before dinner and before the USF game on TV. I got out of the shower to see TWO boxes from 1-800-flowers -- my mom had sent 3 dozen red roses! She tried to get 30 roses sent - but they basically told her since you get 6 free, there was no way to only send 30 - a-ok with me! They are lovely (photos below)...

Saturday's dinner was at this neat authentic German restaurant - real German speaking staff, real German cooks and cuisine - and even the entertainment was legit. I even got a birthday serenade from the odd accordion player - how fun! It was really neat. (See photos below) - and the Black Forest Cake was pretty awesome.

The festivities continued at home with more cake - this time it was a cookie cake, my traditional choice. We watched the game (too bad our team lost!), had great laughs and a great night overall. After church Sunday morning the festivities had to end - our family had to return home to start their week (did I mention I'm off again tomorrow - yeah, I'm celebrating a 5-day birthday weekend!) but what fun we had!!!

Happy Anniervary to Us!

2008-12-02T06:04:00.000-08:00

We seem to be creating a new annual tradition. For the second year in a row we've gone to Benihana on Miami Beach - had a private table in the downstairs dining area (where they dont cook in front of you and where you don't come out smelling like a hibachi)... tried some new food, also tried hot saki (acquired taste I suppose).

A very nice evening with my sweetie:

Then we went "sightseeing" into this neat older neighborhood to a place Tim knew about - great views of the downtown skyline with views all the way to South Beach. Super neat. Very Miami.

My husband, my marriage -- my ultimate blessing

2008-11-30T15:48:00.000-08:00

December 1st -- a day that easily passes to most. Maybe you remember to pay a bill on the 1st of the month, or maybe it clues you in to the upcoming holidays and how many days you can start counting until Christmas day. For me, it's a day I look forward to each and every year since 2001.

Our wedding day - the day the Lord gave us to each other truly until death do us part. I guess someone as wordy as I should be able to put this in more eloquent terms, but honestly when I think of my husband - and the deep love I have for him, it's hard to describe. Especially in the last year. As we celebrate lucky number 7, I'm amazed that we can be more in love today than the day we got married, than the day we first said "I love you", than those simpler days back in college when we would skip classes just to be near each other. And yet, it's so obvious that we are more in love now than ever.

God has tested us this last year - not our marriage itself, but the circumstances He has placed us in - and these tests are going to continue, no doubt. I'm just so thrilled to go through this life with a partner like Tim - when we got married we could not have known the challenges we would face, especially with this bummer of a disease diagnosis of MS - and not once has he been far from my side. You'd think he too had the same diagnosis with how active he is with my treatment, how in-the-know he is on the latest therapies, and with how dedicated he is to MY health as OUR future.

December 1st isnt just another day in our family. It's the day our family began - it's a day to commemorate being "silly-stupid-cross-eyed" for each other, it's a day when we don't give big gifts or do elaborate acts. Instead, we just spoil each other with love - the kind of love that doesnt come in chocolate boxes or bouquets of roses. We celebrate with the kind of love that laughs through the tough times, through the bad news, the kind of love that gets up to let the dog out when it's really not supposed to be my turn, the kind of love that totally digs when he wears a shirt really because he remembers when I said he looks good in it, the kind of love that motivates and cheerleads even the smallest accomplishments, the kind of love that always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Happy Anniversary My One True Love!

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-28T12:55:00.000-08:00

There is still Turkey to finish and of course there are pies left too - here are some sights from our holiday weekend.

(well this was actually 3 weeks ago, but it's cooper's bday today so I had to share a cute family photo - and Tim's lost 20 lbs since this photo!)

Thanksgiving 2008

Someone got in the cold pool

Just adding to the album

2008-11-26T07:20:00.000-08:00

All we need is a rug, some bedding, and fewer screens on the desk and we're in business! (any maybe an iron for those drapes, ha!)

Let the sleepovers begin!

2008-11-25T13:32:00.000-08:00

Look at our new "study"! We selected a Murphy Bed wall unit in chocolate pear finish with bronze/copper hardware. I havent seen it in person yet as these are pics from Tim's cell phone... cant wait to go home and see it in person!!!

Going, going, gone...

2008-11-24T06:07:00.000-08:00

The imperfections of our office are slowly disappearing - a large old water spot on the ceiling that has long since been repaired but just never covered up, and the badly-patched closet removal by the previous homeowner. Since I had to be in there painting the new baseboards I tackled the entire project (plus Tim was working nights last week and into the weekend so I didn't see much of him Friday or Saturday - at least not awake!) I'm paying for it today as I'm drained, dragging and my hamstrings are killing me from climbing the ladder and crouching to paint the floor molding... but it's been worth it. Murphy Bed gets installed tomorrow!!!

Water spot:
Lots of tape
And lots of spackle and sanding
Now it's looking more like an office

Bye bye spot (one more coat ought to do it!)
Nice smooth wall
Shiny white baseboards with 2 coats of semi-gloss ultra white. Now just all the other rooms to finish ;)

Holy Moly - one day flooring!

2008-11-17T06:28:00.001-08:00

How amazing are my floor guys! New floors in one day, all new baseboards, and they took out the old wood and saved it so we could give it to some dear friends of ours...

BEFORE:
AFTER

BEFORE:

AFTER:

The base boards are super amazing...

Cooper likes not having any furniture in the rooms yet

And I dread having to put all this stuff back wherever it came from. Let's just say we're renting a dumpster!