Thursday, September 28, 2006

The Matrix and Muppets Combine

This isn't really relevant, but is sure effective in getting a laugh! (It helps if you have seen Matrix and/or know about the Muppets.)

The Muppet Matrix

I love spoofs of any kind, and this one is GREAT!

Monday, September 18, 2006

The pills are coming...

(throat clear - throat clear - cough - cough - cough) Maybe if I had taken all these crazy looking pills I would feel better today! Eric passed along his wretched cold to me! (I had just finished saying on Sunday "I haven't gotten it yet") I did have activities to pursue today, but now feel like moving from this computer chair would require too much effort. But, I must sally forth and try to get on with it! Enjoy your healthy day and think of me in my misery! (hack - hack)

Friday, September 15, 2006

Cleaing Update

Well, suffice it to say, I did not accomplish all I set out to do. I did clean the closets, and started papering the kitchen cabinets (but ran out of paper!). No financial meeting set up yet with the "CEO" but there's still time in the week! This turned out to be a VERY busy week at work and I donated alot of extra time to the job instead of the house. Not what I had planned, but at least everything got done at work. What's the best way to stay motivated for house projects? I'll let you know when I find out!

Monday, September 11, 2006

The Joys of Fall Cleaning

I'm officially starting the "Clean Sweep" for this week. This is what I want to accomplish by Friday:

1. Clean out kitchen cabinets and re-contact paper them.

2. Clean out clothes (and coat) closet and donate items to Goodwill.

3. Make a list of our worldly possessions for insurance purposes

4. Catch up on ALL laundry and paperwork (the paperwork has been piling up for a couple weeks now!)

5. Reevaluate our budget and have a "financial meeting" with Eric to discuss. (It makes it feel official if we schedule a meeting.)

I know that list is not long, but each task if very labor intensive! So, I'll update towards the end of the week and let you know how everything turned out! This is a great time of the year to do those tasks that pile up - it's cool and today it's cloudy, so I'm ok with staying inside for the day. Have a great week everyone!

Friday, September 08, 2006

The Highs and Lows


Today has been composed of mountain-top or pit of the valley experiences. It seemed like every other moment / activity / piece of information brought me joy or tears. There was no middle ground today - just the ups and downs. I feel at odds with a couple people around me and don't know how to make the situations better. I feel God whispering "Keep your focus on Me. Don't be distracted by the things around you - I know the plans I have for you." But, it is only a whisper - and every other thing is screaming at me! If you read this today, please pray for me. (Or tomorrow, I'm sure I'll still need prayer then!)

"'For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you,' says the Lord, 'thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.'"
Jeremiah 29:11, Aplified Bible

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Camping Days!

Friday started off our weekend very busily as we ran 5 errands in preparation for our departure from Lincoln! So, instead of leaving Lincoln around 1:00 or 2:00 as we had hoped, we ended up heading down the interstate at 3:30 instead! I am choosing to believe this tardiness on our part wouldn't have made a difference to the weather at Lake Calamus when we arrived 3 1/2 hours later. Even though we had seen the rain on the windshield for the last 75 miles of our trip, we didn't realize the the temperature had also been dropping 10 degrees every hour. When we arrived at the lake, we noticed the water was covered in "white caps." Thinking nothing of it and not noticing how hard it was REALLY raining, we traveled through 3 different campsites looking for "the ONE" - void of people, close to water, and some trees for protection. (Little did we know how MUCH we would need that "protection.")
On the furthest side of the 10 mile diameter lake, we found our site. Eric and I hopped gleefully from the truck to do a close-up inspection.......only to do to quick hop right back in! Driving rain, freezing temps, and frigid wind! (We had left Lincoln with 80 degree weather and I was wearing shorts and t-shirt!) Gasping for breath, we sat dumbfounded. What do we do? Wait for the rain to subside? Turn around and see if there was a motel in the area? Go home? Or set up camp any way? If you chose Option #4, you would be correct. Eric thought we should get our ginormous (gigantic+enormous) tarp set up as a rain shield first.
So, being the "helpful" wife I am, I set out to get the tarps from the camping tub and he scouted a spot for the "shield." Unfortunately, we had picked a camping site with only 3 trees - and tarps have 4 corners. After battling the wind, rain and the tarp (which was given superpowers by the wind and rain) for almost an hour and getting nowhere, we moved our attention to the tents. By this point, we are both soaked - my hair is dripping in my eyes and the ONE sweatshirt I brought with me is heavy with water and failing to keep me warm. At some point in the set-up process, we also discovered that the one thing I asked Eric to throw in his clothes bag (clean t-shirts) was missing! He was wearing his ONLY shirt and it was also soaked and wet.
The tents went up with minor setbacks - mostly because my fingers were too numb to be of much help to me - and we quickly tied all our belongings under a tarp for the night. We talked about chucking it all in and heading back to Lincoln (this was around 11:00 p.m.) and I said "We could be at IHOP by 2:00 and have pancakes!" But we ended up staying that night and ate cereal on our air mattress by the bowlful. I'm glad we stayed (now) because it turned into a great couple of days. The next day, the sky was clear and we had perfect weather for the next 2 days. We hiked with the dogs, took a LONG nap and went wading in Calamus River. Sitting around the campfire was WONDERFUL in the morning when my nose was still frozen from that night before and we made an emergency trip into Burwell for chocolate chip cookies. All-in-all, we had a fun, relaxing weekend that left us refreshed and ready to face our real lives again.