So, I read for 11 hours today and finished the last Harry Potter book. I'm kinda sad that they're over. It was a fun series to read.
Life has been kinda slow and now super great lately but I think that this happens every fall-to a point. Between the dreading of winter and the homesickness as my Christmas vacation approaches, I don't think that life could feel any slower. 3 more weeks.
On a happy note, I've been learning so much fun stuff at work lately! It's so weird to learn things about my personality and the way that I think. It's kind of entertaining.
Well, I got some new fish but 3 of them died already. It is sad. I really want a kitten and I'm trying to fill that "want". :) Someday...
Well, only 3 more weeks until Colorado. I think that I will be able to make it!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Sunday, October 05, 2008
3.5 months of updates
So, I haven't updated my blog in so long because I wanted to do an update on EVERYTHING that has happened. In the end, here were no updates so here is a run-through.
Work was overwhelmingly busy yet equally fun as I've been learning new things and receiving new responsibilities. My weeks are just now going back to normal and I'm realizing how much I really like the 10-12 hour days.
Mike was accepted into Wheaton College's biblical exegesis program and is working hard. He is mainly reading at this time but the big papers will come soon. We've been able to spend alot of time together and that has been fun.
Vacations/Out of town time
Mike and I went to Colorado in July and it was a very fun and relaxing trip back.
I turned 21 in August and Mike surprised me with a trip to Cincinnati. Also relaxing and fun to go on a road trip.
Other updates:
I got an ice cream maker and have made grapefruit sorbet almost daily. It's wonderful stuff.
Mike's high school friend John came to visit for the weekend. He's at a nearby Navy base and we're hoping that he'll visit again soon.
Well, there is an update. Now I feel alot less stress in updating more often. I'm off now to watch Robots and eat grapefruit sorbet!
Work was overwhelmingly busy yet equally fun as I've been learning new things and receiving new responsibilities. My weeks are just now going back to normal and I'm realizing how much I really like the 10-12 hour days.
Mike was accepted into Wheaton College's biblical exegesis program and is working hard. He is mainly reading at this time but the big papers will come soon. We've been able to spend alot of time together and that has been fun.
Vacations/Out of town time
Mike and I went to Colorado in July and it was a very fun and relaxing trip back.
I turned 21 in August and Mike surprised me with a trip to Cincinnati. Also relaxing and fun to go on a road trip.
Other updates:
I got an ice cream maker and have made grapefruit sorbet almost daily. It's wonderful stuff.
Mike's high school friend John came to visit for the weekend. He's at a nearby Navy base and we're hoping that he'll visit again soon.
Well, there is an update. Now I feel alot less stress in updating more often. I'm off now to watch Robots and eat grapefruit sorbet!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
My Day Home Sick
So, I woke up Friday morning at the usual time of 4:45am and wasn't feeling well at all. My stomach was very upset and I didn't want to move. It was at that moment that I remembered the last evening... I ate a big plate of the-best-nachos-I've-ever-made and immediately fell asleep on the bed--at 7:00pm. My body wasn't very thrilled about the lack of after-dinner exercise and was punishing me.
I called Bill and told him I was not going into work that morning and then fell back asleep.
I awoke at 9:00am alone. Mike had gone into work at 6:00am, as usual. I sit up and begin planning my day. Since Mike had the car at Moody, my choices were few.
I could sit online and chat with friends or read a book. Both of those choices sounded invigorating and I began logging into my various chat programs (ie iChat and yahoo messenger) when all of a sudden I remembered a notice, on the front door to our building, that I hadn't cared about for the past few weeks
As I was remembering this horrid notice I realized that I needed to use the restroom (what can I say? it had been 14 hours since I fell asleep!). Immeidently I called my dad to see if the toilet would flush when the water is off. I knew that on toilets with tanks you have 1 chance BUT we don't have a tank.
He didn't answer.
I decided that this question was important enough to bother Mike and work so I called him. He said that I should test the water and, if the water was on, that it may work. Not a very encouraging answer but I thought I'd try it.
So, after I go I push down the knobby thing to flush and nothing happens.
Not a sound.
"What do I do know?" I thought
About that time my dad calls back. "No, of course it won't flush without the water on" he said... condescendingly... making me think "man, I'm such a loser" (but little did I know that this thought would go through my head again very soon).
Dad told me that if I had 1 to 1 1/2 gallons of water to pour into the toilet, it would flush.
"WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO GET WATER FORM WHEN THE WATER IS TURNED OFF?? IF I HAD WATER, I WOULDN'T BE IN THIS SITUATION!" I calmly explained. He then said that there is still water in the pipes that I could use so I took down my 3-gallon pot and began filling it with water.
"Only 1-gallon, darn. Can I use a different liquid" I asked, eying the nasty 1/2 gallon of juice I had bought the weekend before (partially happy to have an excuse to throw it out without technically wasting it--it was seriously nasty stuff). He said that any liquid would work so I added the juice to my water and took it into the bathroom.
I pour it into the toilet and to my delight, it works! The toilet is "flushed" but I begin to realize, what I consider to be, a bigger problem...
The new, juice smell, is worse than the previous smell and I quickly left the bathroom before I vomited.
I now had a different situation and no way to solve it. There was no more water in the house to put down to toilet to eliminate the juice smell and I hadn't taken a shower after my intense soccer game on Thursday night and felt pretty nasty with all the sweat that had dried on my body overnight.
I decided to suck it up, put a handkerchief in my disheveled hair and walk to Walgreens. There I paid $3 for 2 gallons of water and began the trek home.
Man, 2 gallons of water is alot heavier when you have just under 1/2 mile to walk.
I get home, pour the water into the toilet, am alittle disappointed that the room still smells like juice but am hopeful that when Mike returns home he won't notice.
To make the next few hours not drag out, I drink alot of water when I'm not feeling well and about 45 minutes after the 2nd water experiment, I have to pee. With no more water in the house, I decided that pee isn't as bad as juice and just go--leaving the unflushed toilet for a couple hours until the water is back on.
The End.
I called Bill and told him I was not going into work that morning and then fell back asleep.
I awoke at 9:00am alone. Mike had gone into work at 6:00am, as usual. I sit up and begin planning my day. Since Mike had the car at Moody, my choices were few.
I could sit online and chat with friends or read a book. Both of those choices sounded invigorating and I began logging into my various chat programs (ie iChat and yahoo messenger) when all of a sudden I remembered a notice, on the front door to our building, that I hadn't cared about for the past few weeks
Repairing Pipes
water off daily from 8:00am-4:00pm
As I was remembering this horrid notice I realized that I needed to use the restroom (what can I say? it had been 14 hours since I fell asleep!). Immeidently I called my dad to see if the toilet would flush when the water is off. I knew that on toilets with tanks you have 1 chance BUT we don't have a tank.
He didn't answer.
I decided that this question was important enough to bother Mike and work so I called him. He said that I should test the water and, if the water was on, that it may work. Not a very encouraging answer but I thought I'd try it.
So, after I go I push down the knobby thing to flush and nothing happens.
Not a sound.
"What do I do know?" I thought
About that time my dad calls back. "No, of course it won't flush without the water on" he said... condescendingly... making me think "man, I'm such a loser" (but little did I know that this thought would go through my head again very soon).
Dad told me that if I had 1 to 1 1/2 gallons of water to pour into the toilet, it would flush.
"WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO GET WATER FORM WHEN THE WATER IS TURNED OFF?? IF I HAD WATER, I WOULDN'T BE IN THIS SITUATION!" I calmly explained. He then said that there is still water in the pipes that I could use so I took down my 3-gallon pot and began filling it with water.
"Only 1-gallon, darn. Can I use a different liquid" I asked, eying the nasty 1/2 gallon of juice I had bought the weekend before (partially happy to have an excuse to throw it out without technically wasting it--it was seriously nasty stuff). He said that any liquid would work so I added the juice to my water and took it into the bathroom.
I pour it into the toilet and to my delight, it works! The toilet is "flushed" but I begin to realize, what I consider to be, a bigger problem...
The new, juice smell, is worse than the previous smell and I quickly left the bathroom before I vomited.
I now had a different situation and no way to solve it. There was no more water in the house to put down to toilet to eliminate the juice smell and I hadn't taken a shower after my intense soccer game on Thursday night and felt pretty nasty with all the sweat that had dried on my body overnight.
I decided to suck it up, put a handkerchief in my disheveled hair and walk to Walgreens. There I paid $3 for 2 gallons of water and began the trek home.
Man, 2 gallons of water is alot heavier when you have just under 1/2 mile to walk.
I get home, pour the water into the toilet, am alittle disappointed that the room still smells like juice but am hopeful that when Mike returns home he won't notice.
To make the next few hours not drag out, I drink alot of water when I'm not feeling well and about 45 minutes after the 2nd water experiment, I have to pee. With no more water in the house, I decided that pee isn't as bad as juice and just go--leaving the unflushed toilet for a couple hours until the water is back on.
The End.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Minneapolis
So, it's been forever since I posted but luckily, not much has happened in the last few months. I'll shorten them to a few bullet points:
-Mike had tons of homework so I played alot of soccer
-We went to Dan and Susan's wedding
-Mike graduated
-Summer began. Mike is working the same job he has in the spring--as am I
Enough reminiscing.
So, I just got back from a little vacation with Beki Rohan to Minneapolis to see Tracy and Erin. It was extremely fun.
We began the 7 hour drive with lots of energy but both wanted to refuel with some blizzards at about 10:00pm. The service there was extremely bad but we didn't let it get us down. We weren't in that big of a hurry and were excited that DQ was even open. Here is a small glimpse of our excitedness:
Our first day in MN began with Beki and I looking for a Whole Foods. I didn't get lost but wondered a couple times if we would make it back home. :)
After that Tracy came home and we hung out, took naps and played games in eager anticipation for Erin's arrival home from work.
Once she arrived, we decided to go bowling. It was an old fashioned bowling alley and very neat. Beki won the first game and I WON THE 2ND! We enjoyed hanging out and ate nachos and artichoke dip.
A hard afternoon of bowling led us to Caribou Coffee to recharge and then we took a walk around Calhoun Lake. It's about 3 miles and was extremely beautiful--A very relaxing time of walking slowly and talking.
That night we ordered Domino's, watched Speed and went to bed.
Thursday: A day full of shopping began with lunch at Arby's, for me. I had been so excited for this meal and was very let down. I guess you can say it's no longer a craving of mine.
I did, however, eat my fist cheese curd shortly after lunch. Good stuff.
We walked around for what seemed like forever and then, when we couldn't stay on our feet any longer, stopped for a break. I almost fell asleep.
That night, we watched Matilda, played some games and got to bed early.
Friday was a sad day of goodbyes. I was able to see my friend Laura for a short time and then we were off to Chicago. We made good time during the stretch to Madison, WI where we picked up Mike's friend, Shannon, to visit for the weekend. The last 130 miles were absolutely miserable as they took almost 4 hours because of traffic. May I also mention that my a/c currently isn't working so we had the windows down. It was hot, stuffy and loud. Ick.
BUT, we made it home safely and had a great trip!
Here are a couple of my favorite pics:
Beki and I at the lake
Beki walking away from me, partially irritated from all the pictures (this picture was taken before I locked us out of the house--I won't elaborate on that one)
-Mike had tons of homework so I played alot of soccer
-We went to Dan and Susan's wedding
-Mike graduated
-Summer began. Mike is working the same job he has in the spring--as am I
Enough reminiscing.
So, I just got back from a little vacation with Beki Rohan to Minneapolis to see Tracy and Erin. It was extremely fun.
We began the 7 hour drive with lots of energy but both wanted to refuel with some blizzards at about 10:00pm. The service there was extremely bad but we didn't let it get us down. We weren't in that big of a hurry and were excited that DQ was even open. Here is a small glimpse of our excitedness:
Our first day in MN began with Beki and I looking for a Whole Foods. I didn't get lost but wondered a couple times if we would make it back home. :)
After that Tracy came home and we hung out, took naps and played games in eager anticipation for Erin's arrival home from work.
Once she arrived, we decided to go bowling. It was an old fashioned bowling alley and very neat. Beki won the first game and I WON THE 2ND! We enjoyed hanging out and ate nachos and artichoke dip.
A hard afternoon of bowling led us to Caribou Coffee to recharge and then we took a walk around Calhoun Lake. It's about 3 miles and was extremely beautiful--A very relaxing time of walking slowly and talking.
That night we ordered Domino's, watched Speed and went to bed.
Thursday: A day full of shopping began with lunch at Arby's, for me. I had been so excited for this meal and was very let down. I guess you can say it's no longer a craving of mine.
I did, however, eat my fist cheese curd shortly after lunch. Good stuff.
We walked around for what seemed like forever and then, when we couldn't stay on our feet any longer, stopped for a break. I almost fell asleep.
That night, we watched Matilda, played some games and got to bed early.
Friday was a sad day of goodbyes. I was able to see my friend Laura for a short time and then we were off to Chicago. We made good time during the stretch to Madison, WI where we picked up Mike's friend, Shannon, to visit for the weekend. The last 130 miles were absolutely miserable as they took almost 4 hours because of traffic. May I also mention that my a/c currently isn't working so we had the windows down. It was hot, stuffy and loud. Ick.
BUT, we made it home safely and had a great trip!
Here are a couple of my favorite pics:
Beki and I at the lake
Beki walking away from me, partially irritated from all the pictures (this picture was taken before I locked us out of the house--I won't elaborate on that one)
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Random Realization
Well, I sit here with very achy ankles, thawing nostrails and a smile on my face. Soccer was so fun tonite and I played well.
Oh, I thought the coldness was gone but today, I don't think that the temp (actual temp that is) got above 1 degree. Burrr.
Be careful out there, Chicagoans!
(p.s. the Chicagoans is actually not misspelled according to Blogger's spell check but it wasn't found in the dictionary)
Oh, I thought the coldness was gone but today, I don't think that the temp (actual temp that is) got above 1 degree. Burrr.
Here's what I realized while driving to my soccer game tonite: When it's that cold outside, you have to be careful when you breathe. Why? Because if you breathe towards the front window, your breath will cause frost to form. This isn't just any frost (and shouldn't be confused with fogginess) but it's like a thin layer of ice that can only be removed by putting your hand on the insanely cold glass and melting the ice with your body heat.
Of course, after a few seconds it doesn't feel like there is any heat left in your hand and you may have to switch to the other one.
Be careful out there, Chicagoans!
(p.s. the Chicagoans is actually not misspelled according to Blogger's spell check but it wasn't found in the dictionary)
Friday, February 08, 2008
"Yea, I'm a loser"
That's my responce when someone comments about my week. I worked 2 days and stayed home 3. Here are the entertainingly boring details:
This week went by quickly but it seems that every day sure did drag. Here's my whining story but it's not really that bad. I got to sleep in.
So, I missed church on Sunday because I was feeling cold-like symptoms. I was okay but not wonderful. Monday morning I woke up, feeling good and happy that the cold had left without too much inconvenience. Boy was I wrong.
3 hours later I went home feeling awful and ended up sleeping all day. That evening I was still feeling okay and went to a Bible study-where I sniffed and sneezed alot but felt okay.
Tuesday I couldn't talk when I woke up. That's not very helpful when you work in an office.
Wednesday I went to work-amazed at how great part-time employees I have in my office but feeling alittle bad that they can go 2 days without me totally. I think that is a blessing though.
Found out after lunch that my soccer friends were playing after work so I joined in-but having not played on the gym floor with those guy sin a couple months I felt more in the way than on the team. We all have those days though.
Thursday looked very similar to Wednesday. Worked hard and got alot done. Found out about soccer at lunchtime and was determined to play better. Boy was I fooling myself ;)
Disclaimer about the guys I play with: they're so good. They can dribble circles around me and I'm finally learning how to defend. No mercy on the field-which I appreciate and learn from.
I was playing okay-still alittle not-focused though... when all of a sudden (while the ball is about as far away as it can be) I turned funny and rolled my left ankle. Now, since these are a bunch of nice, Christian guys everyone stops playing and asks if I'm alright. Yea, I'm alright but embarrassed that I fell over nothing and hurt myself. I keep playing, with alittle pain but it was tolerable, when in the very next play BAM! I get tagged in the nose with the ball. (by the way, that hurts today too... just not enough o whine too much about)
I was somewhat relieved that no one really noticed-other than the kicker (who apologized) and I really wasn't crying from the pain, my eyes were only watering because that's normal when your nose is shoved back into your skull. ;)
Once again, I push on, through the pain and embarassment and score a goal. It was a good goal. I felt like my game was back and I was ready to play.
I went up against another good guy (the type who begins to juggle because he's so good he can hold onto it and get away from the defense) but I messed him up. He ended up popping it up into the air, above out heads and I jump to head it away. I GET IT! I thought for sure he'd jump higher but I don't think he jumped. :) I head it towards the goal and I don't remember what happened with it because when I came down, I landed on the invisible step that caused me pain a few minutes earlier and I sprain my othar ankle.
Well, I stayed home from work today because you cannot do much when you can't walk, ya know. So I sat around all day.
On the bright side: I was just now waddling through the house (that's what I feel like) when my right ankle popped and I could actually straighten it. I had been walking with it sideways because that was the only way it didn't hurt.
So, now I can walk with 2 feet-flat on the floor and I'm planning on taping my ankle and playing soccer again Sunday night.
This week went by quickly but it seems that every day sure did drag. Here's my whining story but it's not really that bad. I got to sleep in.
So, I missed church on Sunday because I was feeling cold-like symptoms. I was okay but not wonderful. Monday morning I woke up, feeling good and happy that the cold had left without too much inconvenience. Boy was I wrong.
3 hours later I went home feeling awful and ended up sleeping all day. That evening I was still feeling okay and went to a Bible study-where I sniffed and sneezed alot but felt okay.
Tuesday I couldn't talk when I woke up. That's not very helpful when you work in an office.
Wednesday I went to work-amazed at how great part-time employees I have in my office but feeling alittle bad that they can go 2 days without me totally. I think that is a blessing though.
Found out after lunch that my soccer friends were playing after work so I joined in-but having not played on the gym floor with those guy sin a couple months I felt more in the way than on the team. We all have those days though.
Thursday looked very similar to Wednesday. Worked hard and got alot done. Found out about soccer at lunchtime and was determined to play better. Boy was I fooling myself ;)
Disclaimer about the guys I play with: they're so good. They can dribble circles around me and I'm finally learning how to defend. No mercy on the field-which I appreciate and learn from.
I was playing okay-still alittle not-focused though... when all of a sudden (while the ball is about as far away as it can be) I turned funny and rolled my left ankle. Now, since these are a bunch of nice, Christian guys everyone stops playing and asks if I'm alright. Yea, I'm alright but embarrassed that I fell over nothing and hurt myself. I keep playing, with alittle pain but it was tolerable, when in the very next play BAM! I get tagged in the nose with the ball. (by the way, that hurts today too... just not enough o whine too much about)
I was somewhat relieved that no one really noticed-other than the kicker (who apologized) and I really wasn't crying from the pain, my eyes were only watering because that's normal when your nose is shoved back into your skull. ;)
Once again, I push on, through the pain and embarassment and score a goal. It was a good goal. I felt like my game was back and I was ready to play.
I went up against another good guy (the type who begins to juggle because he's so good he can hold onto it and get away from the defense) but I messed him up. He ended up popping it up into the air, above out heads and I jump to head it away. I GET IT! I thought for sure he'd jump higher but I don't think he jumped. :) I head it towards the goal and I don't remember what happened with it because when I came down, I landed on the invisible step that caused me pain a few minutes earlier and I sprain my othar ankle.
Well, I stayed home from work today because you cannot do much when you can't walk, ya know. So I sat around all day.
On the bright side: I was just now waddling through the house (that's what I feel like) when my right ankle popped and I could actually straighten it. I had been walking with it sideways because that was the only way it didn't hurt.
So, now I can walk with 2 feet-flat on the floor and I'm planning on taping my ankle and playing soccer again Sunday night.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Burrr
Some days I'm thankful that Chicago is such a fun city to live in. Today is one of those days.
We left our home about 7:00pm to walk a mile and study at Argo Tea. The trek was uneventful. It was alittle chilly but the 31 degrees was pretty nice.
While we were there, weird things began happening... The condensation from the window began to freeze once it settled on the window ledge. The wind kept pulling the front door open only to cool down the store with the 28 mph winds.
After a couple hours, the door was frozen shut. Customers had to wait, freezing and wet, 3-4 minutes to get inside the store while the baristas tried to push the door open for them. It was actually frozen shut.
About 10:00pm Mike and I decided to brace the coldness. It has only been a few hours so I didn't expect it to be as cold as it was. The wind was so hard that you couldn't look up while walking--and of course, since it's Chicago, turning to walk a different direction meant nothing. The wind was still against you.
We made it home with icy eyelashes and an icy mustache (on Mike), my shoes had kicked up snow onto my legs so my socks were frozen and my legs were so cold they looked like they were sunburned.
I don't always think about the wind chill but with the temp being 6 degrees, wind at 30 mph, it feeling like -17 can really get you. I think that I need thermal pants... and a mask that covers my whole face with little holes for the eyes.
We left our home about 7:00pm to walk a mile and study at Argo Tea. The trek was uneventful. It was alittle chilly but the 31 degrees was pretty nice.
While we were there, weird things began happening... The condensation from the window began to freeze once it settled on the window ledge. The wind kept pulling the front door open only to cool down the store with the 28 mph winds.
After a couple hours, the door was frozen shut. Customers had to wait, freezing and wet, 3-4 minutes to get inside the store while the baristas tried to push the door open for them. It was actually frozen shut.
About 10:00pm Mike and I decided to brace the coldness. It has only been a few hours so I didn't expect it to be as cold as it was. The wind was so hard that you couldn't look up while walking--and of course, since it's Chicago, turning to walk a different direction meant nothing. The wind was still against you.
We made it home with icy eyelashes and an icy mustache (on Mike), my shoes had kicked up snow onto my legs so my socks were frozen and my legs were so cold they looked like they were sunburned.
I don't always think about the wind chill but with the temp being 6 degrees, wind at 30 mph, it feeling like -17 can really get you. I think that I need thermal pants... and a mask that covers my whole face with little holes for the eyes.
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