Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Cute Littel Dog

2009-09-05T09:55:00.003-05:00

A month or two ago, we had some friends of ours over for dinner. Their daughter felt sorry for Dale who had to be in his kennel during dinner. She decided to draw a picture for him. It's double sided, and when they left, we found it hanging on his kennel, so Dale could see the picture from inside.

Warren Dunes State Park and Blueberries

2009-07-19T13:55:00.006-05:00

Friday, Mike and I took my cousin's two daughters camping for their first time. Because it was their first time, we picked a State Park 2 hours from Chicago and planned to go for only one night.

We packed up our tent and equipment. Went to Target to buy the perishibles. Then went to pick up the girls...only an hour late due to traffic. After picking up the girls, we headed out on the road. At this point, in discussing our plans with the girls, I realized that while at Target, I'd forgotten to buy the hotdogs.

Halfway there, Mike pulled off the highway to get gas....in Gary, IN... and... ummmm... not in the best neighborhood in Gary. Then he proceeds to make a comment along the lines of "I think that guy has a gun in his pocket" which promptly scares the girls. Smart Mike....very smart.

We get back on the highway, toodling along and we stop again at a lovely grocery store and buy the hotdogs. Shortly thereafter, we get to the exit on the highway near the State Park. Mapquest told us to turn left. We should have turned right.

5 miles later, we turn around and find the State Park. There's a red flag by the station. Red flag = No Swimming. We're bummed but we know we've got tomorrow. We get to our campsite and set up our tent, get everything moved in.

It starts raining.

Our tent has holes in it.

At least 10.

The girls and I run to the "Camp General Store" and buy Ducktape. Mike duck-tapes the holes. We're dry....well, almost...There's a hole we can't find.

And now it's dinner time. And it's raining. So much for roasting weinies over the campfire. So we eat the sandwiches I'd packed for lunch on Saturday.

After we finish eating dinner... it stops raining.

We start a campfire and make s'mores. Yum!

Mike breaks the glass on the Coleman lantern.

We finish s'mores and get cleaned up, it starts raining again.

We go to bed. The queen sized airmattress that Mike and I brought to sleep on, we discover, has a hole in it. It goes from full to empty in less than half hour. Mike and I sleep fitfully all night. One of the girls wakes up in a puddle and finds her book completely soaked through.

5 a.m. Mike and I get up for good. We clean up outside the campsite and chat. At 7, we wake up the girls, have breakfast, and get the campsite packed up...throwing away the tent and the air-mattress since both were so holey-it was irreperable. We then packed the car and went from the camping area to the dune area of the State Park.

After climbing the tallest dune there (and seeing the Chicago Skyline from across Lake Michigan), we hiked around the State Park. We still couldn't go swimming (yellow flag = swimming would be stupid), so we left the State Park and went to a pick-your-own-blueberry farm. We had a TON of fun, picking blueberries. SO much fun we didn't want to stop... When we went to pay for our blueberries, we discovered that we'd picked over 23 POUNDS of blueberries. That was in under an hour! It also doesn't count all the blueberries we'd eaten while picking!

We headed back home after that, stopping once at Steak-n-shake for lunch.

It wasn't a perfect camping trip, by any stretch of the imagination. The girls, though, LOVED it and want to go camping again. So that...at least...was a success.

Too bad I'd also forgotten to bring my camera. (The picture on top I pulled off the web.)

Anniversary Trip Photos

2009-06-20T21:54:00.002-05:00

After many gentle reminders from friends and family, I'm posting the pictures from our 10 year Anniversary trip to St. Louis here.

Anniversary Trip

2009-06-11T11:21:00.002-05:00

Our trip for our Anniversary was fantastic. One of the main reasons for that, was the way we were treated at the Westin St. Louis. We had used priceline to reserve a room with a king sized bed in it for the two nights we were going to be in St. Louis.

When we checked in, the guy at the front desk asked us if we wanted the key to the mini-bar and Mike said "Only if we get it free 'cause it's our anniversary."

"It's your anniversary? How many years?"

"10 years!"

The man went back to his paperwork, crossing out the room number he had written down on the key card and writing a different room number.

"Is today your anniversary?"

"No, tomorrow is."

"Well, Happy Anniversary and welcome to the Westin! Enjoy St. Louis!"

We went up to the room and were blown away.

On top of this room, on our actual Anniversary, they delivered chocolate covered strawberries, chocolates and champagne to our room!

Family Resemblance?

2009-05-23T16:10:00.003-05:00

Back in February / March-ish, Ben and Lori came to visit us with Ayla and Liam. I'm finally getting those pictures uploaded here.

The first one just cements the fact that the Clyde genes are pretty darn strong....look at the resemblence between Mike and Liam!!!!

Joanne, Mike, Ayla and Liam

Liam, Ben, Ayla and Lori

Anniversary Musings

2009-05-19T22:33:00.003-05:00

Our anniversary is fast approaching on May 29th. For those of you keeping track, that makes 10 years of marriage.

10. Ten. One-Oh.

People seem surprised to find out that we've been married this long. Granted, there aren't a lot of 29 year old women out there who have been married to the same guy for 3 years, much less 10.

Yes, I was 19 when we got married. (Mike was 25.)

I'd heard rumors of people betting we wouldn't make it past 2 years because we'd married so young. Would life have been easier if we'd waited? It depends on your definition of 'easier.' Would we have been in a better financial position? Probably. Would our relationship had lasted? I don't know.

What I do know is that Mike and I have gone through a lot. Moves, school, bad jobs, long-distance commuter marriage, infertility, unemployment. We've had our share of arguments and disagreements. There was even one occasion where I grabbed my keys and my purse, got in the car and drove off. 15 minutes later I was back and we were in each other's arms, both of us apologizing.

We've also had our moments of intense joy. Our wedding, Being Sealed in the Chicago Temple, my graduation from ISU, purchasing our first house.

In between those awful lows and wonderful highs, we have a 'comfortable' life. We tease each other, we beat up on each other, we help each other. We put off doing the laundry, or we throw ourselves wholeheartedly into the latest gardening project. We hold hands, we give hugs, we say 'I love you.' We fart in bed and pull the covers up over the other person's head. (Nothing says 'I love you than a S.B.D first thing in the morning.)

We both have busy lives outside of the home. Mike works full time, is finishing his bachelor's degree at UIC, and is a Stake High Counselor for our Stake. I'm teaching in a Junior High and I teach Relief Society on the third Sunday of every month. We are both serving as Ordinance workers in the Chicago Temple every Friday night. (Due to change because Mike's class schedule is changing for the Summer term).

With all this, we still MAKE the time to spend together. We try and talk about our days every night. We try and have a date night (or date afternoon) once a week. We try and share interests, or at least we pretend to be interested in a topic, if only to support the other.

We have learned to recognize when the other is grumpy and we work hard to not take it personal, and we ask what's wrong, and what we can do to help. We have also learned to communicate. We talk....A LOT! We try and talk about our days, our problems, our trials, our challenges, our little successes and the funny things that happened in our day. (Like Dale 'burying' his bone in the corner of the living room and the sound of his nose squeaking on the hardwood floor much like gymshoes on a basketball court.)

We love pillow talk. Those 10 minutes between prayers and slumber are precious. Laying next to each other, our legs intertwined, heads touching, holding hands, staring up at the ceiling and sharing our thoughts, fears, dreams, and if that IS a spider on the ceiling...kill it! Kill It! KILL IT!!!!!!

Perhaps the most important thing we have, besides our Love, is our Committment. We've committed to be together for Time and All Eternity. That's not a Covenant to be taken lightly. Too often, people think of marriage as a temporary thing. It's not. A true marriage is for the long haul. We KNOW that if we're to make it to Time and All Eternity, we'd better work damn hard to make sure that we get a long.

Anyway, we've got a neat little trip planned out for our Anniversary. It's not quite Spain, like we'd planned years ago to do for number 10 (A year of unemployment for me plus the icky economy kind of knocked that one back a few years), but it'll be nice.

We're going to drive down to St. Louis. Spend a few days there, including going up in the arch, going on a Paddleboat dinner tour (including horse-drawn carriage ride to and from the dock), and visiting the St. Louis Temple. On our way back to Chicago, we're planning on stopping in Bloomington/Normal and visiting some friends. It's not a glamorous 10th anniversary, but it's just us.

I could write more about our marriage, anniversary and plans, but Mike's headed to bed and I want my 10 minutes of pillow talk.

Sometimes you don't make it onto the rock.

2009-04-18T15:53:00.003-05:00

On Thursday, while out and about, my mom and I stopped into the Oak Park Conservatory. In one of the areas, there's a little koi pond that has 4 resident turtles. We were just in time to catch this little drama.

It's funny, but bittersweet. I certainly know what it feels like to strive to achieve something only to fall back into the pond. We didn't have time to stick around, so I don't know if the little guy finally made it up onto that rock with his friends.

Forgetting the Past

2009-04-11T09:13:00.003-05:00

Those who forget the past...

...Are doomed to repeat it.

Dale gets the Paper

2009-04-06T17:03:00.000-05:00

Sadly, it's the only reason we get the paper delivered anymore....

CSI: Drury Lane

2009-01-12T20:46:00.002-06:00

Upon returning home from their workday, the homeowners discovered that their house was the scene of a vicious and horrific crime. There were no witnesses to the act, however the perpetrator was still on the premises when the crime was discovered, and security cameras caught the carnage.

The victim: Bo Vine.

The Crime: Murder by evisceration.

The Perpetrator: Dale "the Dog".

The following image may not be suitable for all viewers. Those with weak consitutions may want to look away.

The magic of the season

2008-12-07T11:20:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was the Ward Christmas party for our church. Last night, we got a phone call from a member of the Bishopric asking if Mike would be willing to be Santa for a few minutes during the party. Of course!

We arrived at the party and after the short video, talks by several Elders in our ward and dinner, Mike was given a script and led to the room where the Santa Suit would be waiting for him. The Activities Committee person led the group in a rousing rendition of Jingle Bells and then....Wonder of Wonders! Santa appeared! All the kiddies started squealing and dancing around.

The Santa Suit fit Mike pretty well...except he kept tugging at the beard on his face. He was asked to read a poem on the symbolism behind the Candy Cane then he announced that there were Candy Canes under everyone's chair, and left! I thought it was kind of disappointing that they didn't plan for Santa to do the whole meet and greet the kiddies thing.

The men's restroom is right out side of the Cultural Hall. He went out the door, and went right into the men's washroom. It's a good thing he did. One little girl in the audience went racing after him. I found her in the foyer of the Church with her face pressed up against the glass doors.

"Who are you looking for?" I asked her.

"Santa! I think he parked his sleigh out there!" she responded, looking at me with eyes full of wonder.

"Really?! Do you see anything???"

She looked a little dispointed and answered, "No!"

"Do you think maybe he parked his sleigh on the roof of the chapel?"

She paused, gave a very solemn nod, looked up at the ceiling and then back at me.

"Do you think we'll see anything?"

She shook her head and went running back to the Cultural Hall.

I was so tickled at having witnessed this precious girl and all her innocent wonder. It really touched my heart and reminded me that we all need to "become as the little child." Her faith that Santa was out there and that even though she couldn't see him, he still was there mirrored my own feelings about the Savior of the World, whose life we celebrate this season. Even though I cannot see him, or feel him in person, I still know that He is there and that He loves me. Adam fell that man might be, Men are that they might have joy. The Savior is that Joy. The Joy of the world.

I wish all of my friends and family a wonderful Christmas season. May the Spirit of the Holidays remain with us throughout the entire year. May we continue to be like little children and wonder at this world that God has made for us!

Joanne

News!

2008-11-30T20:14:00.001-06:00

We received the letter yesterday. Mike has officially been accepted to the University of Illinois at Chicago into the school of business! 3 to 4 semesters and he'll be finished with his Bachelor's degree!

We are so excited!

Yay Mike!

Be IN this world, but not OF this world....

2008-11-01T16:51:00.004-05:00

Mike and I have been recently blessed with new callings in Church.

I am a Relief Society Teacher, which means I get to teach one lesson a month during Relief Society (the women's organization for the Church).

Michael is a Stake High Councilor overseeing the Welfare program AND the Boy Scout Commissioner for our Ward. (Ward = Congregation, Stake = Diocese, Stake High Council is kinda like the Bishop's Council for the Catholic Church)

We recently got a call from the Temple President of the Chicago Temple, asking us to come in for a meeting with him. For my non-LDS friends, Temples are the most sacred places for us. We worship weekly in the Chapels, which are open to everyone to attend. Temples, though, are really sacred. One must be a member in good standing to attend. In the Temple, everyone wears white symbolizing purity. It is the place where we make our most sacred covenants with God.

Mike and I have been asked to be Ordinance Workers in the Temple. Ordinance Workers are those people who officiate, help, and guide others through the Temple Ordinances. We will be Serving in the Temple every Tuesday evening. We can't think of a better way to spend one night a week, then Serving the Lord.

man flu....Hah!

2008-09-27T19:28:00.005-05:00

I have a dear friend of mine who periodically comes down with what he terms 'man flu.' This serious and debilitating illness prevents him and all other men who contract this dread disease from doing anything...anything at all. Can't move, can't care for himself, becoming incredibly self-centered and selfish...until the illness runs its course and he's back to normal.

I didn't used to have pity for him. None...none at all.

Until today.

I got a double whammy.

Some sort of cold/flu/sick thing plus...well....woman issues.

So there I was. Laying on the sofa, unmoving, self centered, pitiful, and miserable. Whiny, moping, and pouting. The only time I got up was to get more tissues, more orange juice, or to fetch another pillow or blanket. Oh, and I made Mike miserable with my whining. "Can you get meeee more orange juuuuice?" "Sooooooouuuup" "I want Soooooouuuuuuup." "I don't feeeel gooooood. I haaaate beeinnnng siiiiick."

"Have you taken anything yet?" He asked me lovingly and with a hint of exasperation.

"No."

"Take some advil."

"Will you get it for me?"

"You get it yourself. You'll feel better if you do."

I think he just said that 'cause he wanted the spot on the couch I'd been occupying.

Those of you guys who suffer from man-flu...I pity you now. I feel your pain. BUT...it still took being SICK and...well....PMS-ing with out the P to knock ME to the purported low that you claim to reach with only your pitiful little flu.

*blows nose and shuffles off to bed*

The Rainiest Day in Chicago History

2008-09-14T22:33:00.002-05:00

See the Chicago Tribune article.

We're lucky. We're really lucky. We only have streams running through our basement, not standing water. We don't really have anything valuable in our basement, and what is worth keeping was already up on boards or shelves. Our sump pump is working...our neighbor's stopped working. Yeah, our yard is flooded and we do have water in our basement.

But compared to a lot of people, we're doing pretty well.

One of our across-the-street neighbor's was fine until the cistern underground next to his house broke and started pushing water into his basement. Another neighbor down the block discovered that his house didn't even come with a sump-pump in it. And yet another neighbor recently completed some very very nice basment renovations and just lost about $10,000 worth of stuff to flood damage.

We'd had plans to save up money for a vacation for our 10th anniversary. It looks like we'll be saving up to have a company come in and do some waterproofing of our basement...and that will cost a bundle...because it's not just simple cracks in the foundation. We've got seepage all around AND a little bubbling 'font' (for lack of a better word) right in the middle of the basement floor.

Flooding

2008-09-13T17:35:00.001-05:00

Well, it's been raining for a day or two...and fairly heavily.

That's our basement with rivers of water running from all 4 walls. Oh, our neighbor has about 3 inches of standing water...

Poor Dale...his potty spot is under about 4 inches of water. He's very confused.

State Parks all across the State due to close Nov 1

2008-09-06T13:12:00.002-05:00

Please see the following article from the State Journal-Register in Springfield, IL.

http://www.sj-r.com/time_out/x144229750/New-hours-for-state-historic-sites

The Chicago Tribune also covered this story but focused on the 179 DCFS employees who will be losing their jobs as well due to these funding cuts.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-state-budget-cuts-29aug29,0,6561920.story

If you have enjoyed the use of State Parks in the past, or even if you understand the value that these natural resources give to our state, please go to the following petition and sign it.

Online petition - Stop Blagojevich From Closing Our State Parks!

Dale is Home!

2008-08-23T22:25:00.002-05:00

We're back!

It's like he never left! He was so excited to see us and we were so excited to see him. I'm still a little distracted by having the puppy dog back that I'm not posting a huge post tonight. I'll fill you all in on it later.

Yay! Dale's Home!

Dale Update MOVIE

2008-08-09T21:36:00.002-05:00

Phil and Jane sent us this quick movie of Dale in training. He's picking up a bird and bringing it back to Phill.

We miss our Puppy-dawg!

We get him in 2 weeks!

A time for Personal Reflection

2008-08-04T14:54:00.003-05:00

Knowing that there are a lot of people who read this blog, I've not put much personal beliefs, feelings or thoughts into this blog. It's just too public. But today, I feel that I need to share some thoughts with the world. This is going to be incredibly personal, and I'm laying bare some fears and trials that I've had...so be gentle and treat this with care, please. :)

Not having a steady job for over a year has been an incredible trial. Not only financial and emotional, but a trial of my identity too. So much of my identity for the past 5 years has been wrapped up in being a "Teacher." When describing myself, that's the first thing I've always said. "I'm a Teacher!" Being without a steady teaching job for this past year really strained how I think of myself.

These past 5 days (has it only been 5 days?) since I signed that contract have felt incredibly different than my life the past year. I feel like I have a purpose again in my life. I feel like I have my 'identity' back.

Over the past year, if I didn't have a reason for getting dressed and leaving the house, I didn't. I didn't want to do anything remotely creative. I hardly cooked, I didn't scrapbook, I even tried to avoid my family and friends. I felt like such a total loser because I no longer knew who I was. I didn't have my "Teacher" role to define myself and I wandered around my little house lost. Drifting from TV to computer to books. I know I worried my husband, a lot! I know I worried my family, though I tried really really hard to hide it from them.

Last night, I wrote in my journal for 3 hours! I didn't get to bed until 2 a.m. this morning. I was reflecting on my new job and the renewed sense of self that I felt from it. Do you guys realize, that in the 5 days since I got my job, I've baked, I've scrapbooked, I've ridden my bike for no reason than for the enjoyment of the wind on my face, I've sat out in my garden, and tried new recipes?

That feeling of finding myself again really made me want to figure out how I even lost myself in the first place.

One of the things we encourage youth and teenagers to do is to not identify themselves with just one role or label, and here I was having done that exact same thing! How many of us have that one label that is our main focus? "I'm a Teacher!" or "I'm a wife!" or "I'm a Mother!" or "I'm a Business person!"

Last night and into this morning, I found myself trying to define who I am. I started out by defining my roles in life. "I'm a Teacher!" "I'm a Wife!" "I'm a daughter!" "I'm a Sister!" "I'm a member of this group or that..." In defining my roles, I was disappointed, because those roles don't encompass who I am. I'm more than all those things combined! There aren't enough roles to encompass me. So I started defining myself by what I know, by my skills and by my 'turn ons' or 'buttons'... those things that make me go "Oh cool! I want to learn that!"

I am Joanne! I am a Daughter of God and I am a Believer in Him and in His Plan. I believe in Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer. I am a strong Woman with thoughts and ideas of my own and I cannot be constrained by standard groupings! Yes, I am a teacher, but I am also a student: Constantly searching for new knowledge of cultures, people, music, skills, things and more. I am a Wife, and in that role I serve as a counsellor, companion, co-worker, confidant and lover. I am an avid Reader, but not only do I read, I create. I know how to Sew, Scrapbook, Embroider, Paint, and do other artsy-fartsy things. I love taking photographs, and like to think I have a good eye for composition. I love to garden and I find that Herbs and Flowers not only beautify the Earth and my Home, but they serve purposes, and knowing the uses for different plants really excites me. I enjoy cooking, and not only can I read a recipe, but I can riff off that recipe. I'm not intimidated by baking and I can make jams and jellies, breads, cakes and all sorts of delicious foods. I love Music and am constantly searching for new styles, genres, artists and stuff I've never heard before. I have a rudimentary knowledge of how to play a piano and I can play the flute fairly well. I enjoy dancing and though I don't know many steps, I enjoy learning. I do know a couple of medieval dances and some ballroom steps, and I'm not afraid of looking silly while trying to learn more. I enjoy the Outdoors. I love camping, cooking over a fire, hiking, and swimming. I love going Pheasant Hunting with Mike and then taking those pheasants and cooking a fantastic meal with them. Even though I like such rustic and rough activities, I also know how to set a formal dining table AND I know what all those bits of silverware are for. I love to sing along with the radio when I'm alone. I even enjoy singing in Church, regardless of the fact that my singing is often off-key and changes keys faster than a janitor in a rush to get through a locked door. I am not afraid of technology and have recently learned to use on-line collaborative tools, improved my knowledge of Excel and Pivot-Tables, learned how to use Photo-shop, and I'm even learning rudimentary 3-d design. I am learning more about Architecture than I even thought I'd wanted to know and can now identify several major architects by looking at the buildings. If I don't know how to do something, I know how to find that information. Heck, Thanks to junior high shop class and learning by osmosis from my father, I can even use basic power tools and build something if I need to, though it won't be fancy.

If I were reading that paragraph about someone else, I'd think they were an amazing person, but to me, I, Me myself, I don't seem amazing to me. I don't feel like someone special. I've had conversations with people recently who have learned some of these things about me and told me that I'm an amazing and cool person. I have a hard time believing them. I guess I assume that everyone has or should have varied interests.

Like I said, this post is incredibly personal, but it's something I think I needed to share with the world. I have one final thought, though, that I want to say.

Heavenly Father has certainly blessed me with a multitude of talents. It is my duty to be a "good and faithful servant" (Matt. 25:14-30) and work to multiply and improve on my talents. I now exhort and challenge you all, reading this very personal blog posting, to develop your own varied lives. If something piques your interest, go for it! Even if it's not something you'd normally do. God has blessed you all with talents and intelligence. Show your gratitude for these blessings by doing everything possible to expand and improve. You never know when one of those skills you learned "because it seemed really cool" will come in handy to bless someone else's life or even the world!

What really started all of this is a quote I found recently by Charles Dickens... "Reflect upon your present blessings - of which every man has many - not on your past misfortune, of which all man has some."

A signed contract!

2008-07-31T22:51:00.003-05:00

After over a year of being a 'teacher with no classroom,' I can finally heave a sigh of relief and declare... "I have a contract! I have a job! I am a Teacher yet again!"

I signed the contract this morning, then spent 3 hours filling out almost as much paperwork as I had when we got our mortgage! Then I trotted off to the police department to get my fingerprints done. (Standard practice for background checks for teachers.)

I will be an ESL teacher for a Middle School just a 10 to 15 minute drive from my home! I'm very excited and I'm looking forward to getting my own classroom.

All those prayers and well wishes finally worked!

Thank you guys and gals for putting up with me the past year as I've been dysfunctionally unemployed and more. :)

Kooza!

2008-07-30T09:23:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine is in Chicago for the summer....and she's working backstage/ushering for Cirque du Soleil and she was incredibly cool and got us an employee discount for tickets! We went last night and I can't tell you HOW EXCITING IT WAS!!!!!! The show was amazing! And even in the cheap seats, we had a great view of the stage! The clowns were in and out of the audience all the time, the acrobatics were amazing, and I swear my heart stopped a couple of times during the trapeeze, the teeterboard and the "Wheel of Death!"

If you get the chance, you all HAVE to go see it! It's amazing!

The website for Kooza is here...

KOOZA!

and I found a Trailer on YouTube.

Dale Updates!

2008-07-28T11:23:00.003-05:00

I realized this morning that I hadn't posted the past few Dale updates we'd gotten from Phil and Jane. So I'm doing some catch-up. :) I LOVE the last few pictures! *makes a mental note to buy a kiddie pool for the backyard.*

July 15, 2008 -

Dale is doing fine….we are now in the field…pointing & shooting birds over him…he is putting everything together that he has learned in his training program.…will send some more pictures this weekend.

Take care,
Phil & Jane

P.S. It has been hot here…mid 90’s with high humidity…I work the dogs in the early morning hours….

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

July 20, 2008 -

Dale enjoys riding in the golf cart and cooling off in the lake after an early morning training session. Temps have been in the mid to upper 90's along with high humidity.
Take care,Phil & Jane

PS. notice the water retrieve of a quail!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

July 27, 2008 -

The dogs are enjoying their "Daily Happy Time" in the exercise yard....they are cooling off in the pool, pointing butterflies, frogs and other critters.

Take care,
Phil & Jane

News from the Homefront

2008-07-21T11:34:00.002-05:00

I figured it was about time for a general update on our lives. :)

We've both gotten some new callings at church in the past couple of weeks, and now that they've been made 'official' we can tell you all about them.

I'm no longer working in the nursery, and am teaching Relief Society once a month. It means the amount of time I spend on church related things has gone down, which is a blessing because...

Mike has been given another calling. He's now on the Stake High Council for the Chicago Illinois Stake. (As of right now, he's still the Assistant Scout Master too.)

He came back from Scout Camp on Saturday afternoon, and then had to be up at 5 a.m. Sunday to make it to his first official meeting, then gave his first talk (in a Spanish Ward no less so he had a translator), had other meetings and made it back to our Ward to be sustained as a High Counsellor, then ordained a High Priest. (Yeah, it's a little out of order, but we were given the ok for that from the Stake.)

As for my job, there's SOME news, but nothing that I'm ready to post online yet. I'll let you know when things have been truly nailed down. :)

I've been watiting for 6 months for this!

2008-07-15T11:21:00.003-05:00

At last! The week that I've been waiting for for over 6 months has finally arrived! I'm going to take full advantage of this opportunity and enjoy it!

Mike is at Scout Camp!

A full blessed week to myself!

The day he left, I cleaned the house and put things where I wanted. I made the house look the way I wanted. The next morning, I walked into the kitchen and THINGS WERE EXACTLY THE WAY I'D LEFT THEM!!! Oh! Blessed Day!

The first night, I went to bed and lay down in my normal place then realized....I CAN SLEEP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BED AND STRETCH OUT!!! Oh! Blessed Day! I've now slept in the middle of the bed for 3 nights!

The Toilet Seat has remained in the 'down' position, the shower curtain gets closed after a shower and allowed to fully dry out, there aren't any food wrappers left in the living room. Oh! Blessed Day!

He doesn't get back until Saturday! That leaves 4 more nights left to my own devices. How am I going to fill them? I don't know exactly, but I'm going to do what I want! =D

Now, don't get me wrong. I really really love my husband. A lot. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for him. We've been married for over 9 years, and we've known each other for over 10. It's just really nice to get away from each other for a short time.

I had time to meditate and ponder uninterrupted (Yes!) yesterday, and I'd been feeling guilty for enjoying my time with Mike gone, when I came to a realization. This opportunity is good in that it reminds me that I can be independant. I can take care of myself. I can entertain myself and there is joy in being alone every once in a while. I can feed myself and keep the house clean. (Not that I didn't already do that, but you get the idea). I'm pretty certain that in a day or two, I will start to really miss having Mike around. At that time, the second lesson of this week will be refreshed. And that lesson is that the old saying has some truth; absence does make the heart grow fonder. I'm gaining a better appreciation for what Mike does do around the house, from fixing those little things, to making sure I eat dinner at an appropriate time, to getting me away from whatever has absorbed me for hours on end to do something different.

As it is, I've already got plans to go out with girlfriends most days this week. And I'm having a girl's night party on Friday. :) So I'm keeping busy.