i don't like blogging.

It's September now and I don't think I've blogged in many months. I'm not really sure why I blog. I share most of my pictures on facebook... we don't have kids that are super cute and changing... we don't really DO anything... it's not really an inspirational blog... it's not really a funny blog... oh well. With as much as I read other people's blogs and LOVE when they update even if it's a post about nothing, I should do it too.

This is John and I at Jon and Brooke's carving pumpkins!

John was kind of protective of the pumpkin. He did all the scooping of the insides out, he did all the marking of the pattern, and he was pretty sure that no one was allowed to touch the pumpkin but him. And then I got that look on my face, and told him it was "OUR" pumpkin not "HIS" pumpkin. He felt bad and gave the pumpkin to me. By this time though, I didn't want the pumpkin given to me out of pity. I wanted him to WANT me to help him with the pumpkin (yes, we're still at that phase of our marriage). By the end of the pumpkin we were both happy, I got to touch it a little bit, and I let him enjoy the carving without trying to make him feel bad for not wanting me to help. He did an amazing job by the way. This is his pumpkin all lit up. We call it "the howling wolf".

By now it's a little mushy, but we still proudly display it on our front porch!

I love fall :)

We are Hoosiers now!

We're living in Indiana now. Yeah. We've been here about 3 weeks. Here's my excuse for not blogging-- I don't like blogging without pictures. MY computer is the only one that we keep pictures on. However, my computer also does not like Gmail which is how I sign into Blogger. Combine that with no internet, and you get very little to no posts. Here's the last month in bullets. Our life isn't THAT much different than before. We don't have to mow the grass anymore because someone does it for us. The cell reception in our apartment is kind of bad... we can't talk on the phone in the kitchen or bathroom. Not that we really need to talk on the phone in those places.

Adjusting is going okay. I'm not sure how much of it is me just pushing all thoughts of anything sad out of my mind, or if I'm really doing okay with the move. A few people have really made the effort to make me feel welcome here, and I'm so thankful for them. I can stand by them in church when I feel awkward and alone and they don't mind (whitney, that's you! :)). I know it's only been 3 weeks. I can't expect to be friends with everyone in the entire church/area already, but I wish I could be. In the meantime, I'm getting my scrapbook started/finished! :)

moving...

We are moving! I know I'm about a week and a half late with this post, but it's finally here!

I have tons of time to tell the story since the baby I'm babysitting for is sleeping and I'm here all alone with nothing to do... so prepare for a loooooonnnnggg boring read! :) Last October John received a job offer for a Maintenance Quality Assurance Inspector position in South Bend, IN. Neither of us were excited about it for some reason (in spite of the fact that John has an awesome cousin living there... who is moving away from there now... funny huh?) and didn't feel good about it so John turned it down. Fast forward to February of this year, and John applied for the same position with the same airline but in Fort Wayne IN. He figured he either had a really good chance because the interview was with the same guy that offered John the job in October, or basically no chance because John had already turned him down once. Turns out, the guy offered John the job on the spot and he starts on the 21st. Oh by the way-- the airline is shutting down the South Bend base soon. I love that God knows the future and what happens when we trust HIM to direct our life. :)

Whew. We are very happy about moving to the Leo area. We have an apartment for now, and I'm just looking forward to getting established this summer. No work for a while for me... my wonderful cousin Kaitlyn is going to be in Leo for the summer (SO excited Kaits :)) and I've heard that Leo is amazing in the summer. I don't really know that much about John's job other than that he's very excited about the things the company is going to certify and train him in. It will benefit him greatly when/should he decide to leave this company.

All in all it will be a good move for us, however, I am sad to be leaving behind all of the friends I've made here.... living next door to Laura has been a blessing words cannot describe. I am incredibly thankful to have been a part of so many children's (and their mom's) lives while we've lived here.

We are looking forward to what God has planned for this next season of our lives! :)

candy crazy

Happy February!
John woke up after only 5 hours of sleep today so he's napping on the couch before he has to leave for work again. He's rarely complains but I know it has to be so hard to try to sleep during the day. He's my hero :)

For Valentines day John and I went to a marriage conference with my parents in Frankenmuth Michigan. It was a Love and Respect Video conference. If you have never read the book I would highly reccomend it. The book is basically everything in the conference... I have it if you would like to borrow it :)

We got to eat lunch at the Bavarian Inn. Apparently Frankenmuth is known as "The Little Bavaria of Michigan" and they do everything they can to be Bavarian in every way. Across the street from our hotel was a Coffee Haus.

We got back from the conference on Tuesday (we stayed a little longer at my parents house) and we leave for Florida this Sunday! SOOO excited. Poor John is trying to fit homework in between our trips and working full time which is probably why he couldn't sleep today. It stresses him out pretty badly.

Oh. My wonderful neighbor and friend Laura convinced me to try to give up extra sweets with her until she goes on HER family vacation to Florida. I've gone one and a half days, and that's only because I'm calling Junior Mints MINTS instead of candy. It's pretty much just giving up candy, cookies, brownies, etc... which I eat WAY too much of. Not sure I can make it until April :)

Christmas 09

We're back from vacation! It was absolutely beautiful-- only one day was super nice weather, but there was no work, no dishes, no worrying or thinking and lots of family!
Below is the day we spent in Cozumel MX (the super nice day)

John and I at dinner one night

The entire family (minus Grandma and Baby Cosette) all strapped in for the zipline in Honduras.

Suzy, Kristen and Me waiting for the comedy act.

Christmas with my family the day after we came home from the cruise. I think each of those stockings were stuffed almost entirely with candy of some form. Our freezer is now full of chocolate.

It was such a nice vacation. It's such a blessing to get along with and enjoy John's family so much. It helps so much that I knew all of them as friends beforehand.

Now it's back to real boring life. FYI John hasn't heard anything back from that job in Texas.

Happy New Year everyone! :)

countdown to vacation time!

I've been sick for about a week with an energy-sucking head cold. The laundry hasn't been done. John has made dinner the past two nights. Good luck finding whatever you're looking for if you left it on the floor because it's a popular place for everything from tootsie roll wrappers to coupons that fell off the table to cranberries from stringing cranberries and popcorn the other night. Working six days this week may also have contributed to me wanting to just sit on the couch and sleep. John has been a trooper though and has run errands for me, not complained about wearing the same clothes to work days in a row, and gotten me medicine when I don't feel like moving. And now he's coming down with it. It'll be my turn to take care of him next :)

We leave for vacation in 13 days. SOOOOOO excited. We're so busy until then, I think it's going to fly by.

John has an interview this upcoming Wednesday morning, and we would appreciate any prayers people would be willing to give on our behalf. It would be such a great career move, but as with last time, leaving our friends, family and home would be difficult.

I think that's all. Just for fun I counted the pairs of shoes that are on the floor in our living room and NOT in the clost-- 5 pairs of shoes. Think we're lazy?? :)

changes

Lots of changes in 3 months... or at least there should be.
First of all, I turned 21 woo-hoo!


And John's birthday is next week but it's Thanksgiving so we celebrated together early. I made him pose with his candles... I think he hates it.




The picture below is his birthday LAST year. I thought I would post it to show how pathetic I am... not much has changed since then at all. I used the same pan to make him brownies two years in a row... I really need something new.


Other than lots of birthdays we've just been working, visiting family, John has been hunting and killed a deer, I've been shopping and killed the bank account-- the usual.

Oh-- I love Christmas even more than I love back-to-school shopping in case you can't tell.

I have been learning to be proficient in driving a stick shift lately. My car has some gas pressure problem, and so until John fixes it, on days that is is feasible I drive his car. It started out very jerky and tense, but I think it's going well... I am going appreciate my automatic car so very much once I get it back.

Our next door neighbor/friends had a baby this past month, and he is so so so cute. We get to see him through the window sometimes.

I signed up for a mini-marathon with my cousin Kaitlyn. Now, before you get impressed and think I'm some fantastic runner I should let you know that I can barely run 3 miles right now. And that's a big barely. It included a lie-down-on-this-bench-to-cure-my-side-ache break, and some stops at traffic lights (Kaitlyn if you read this don't worry, I'll keep training!).

Other than that... John is constantly looking at and applying for jobs so if one day I post that we're moving to Puerto Rico, or Texas or Alaska don't be surprised. I married an adventurer to be sure.

And to end this post... Some pictures of John and my sister Taryn... I think they get along in their craziness very well...