But, no complaining. It's a great day, and I'm excited. I'm also without internet for a little while beginning tomorrow morning. Housing updates may take awhile to get posted.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Our Little Slice
The van is loaded, and we're about to leave. We're moving into our split level today, our little slice of Peoria [literally, (no, not figuratively) the yard is shaped like a pizza slice, or pie, whichever you prefer]. Lots of snags in the house-buying process, which means that we're renting our house for the next two weeks until closing can finally happen. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing else goes wrong and that the realtor and the lender do their jobs. Up until now, that hasn't really happened consistently.
But, no complaining. It's a great day, and I'm excited. I'm also without internet for a little while beginning tomorrow morning. Housing updates may take awhile to get posted.
But, no complaining. It's a great day, and I'm excited. I'm also without internet for a little while beginning tomorrow morning. Housing updates may take awhile to get posted.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Graduation Celebration
Over the weekend, Joshua and I drove on down to Alton for Jenna's graduation party, which she was kind enough to include me in. Really, it was official; my name was on the cake and everything. We had a chance to meet Jenna and Randy's families, eat some tasty food, and play bags. It was a great time. Pictures should be coming soon. Jenna, can I have those pictures?
So, a fun weekend. Now today is action day on the house. It's time for my husband to put the realtor and lender in their places. (I don't really do confrontation.) We need to find out if this house is going to happen, or if luxury apartment living is in our future. Truly, I would be happy either place. One, we have the joy of home ownership, which can't be as bad as everyone says it is or so many people wouldn't do it. The other, we have the fun of carefree living. I'm not worried about where we'll live; we just need to find out which option it will be. We are leaving to go to Wisconsin on Friday, June 5th, and we need to have moved before that. Time is passing by quickly for us. Apparently not so much for the lender and realtor.
So, a fun weekend. Now today is action day on the house. It's time for my husband to put the realtor and lender in their places. (I don't really do confrontation.) We need to find out if this house is going to happen, or if luxury apartment living is in our future. Truly, I would be happy either place. One, we have the joy of home ownership, which can't be as bad as everyone says it is or so many people wouldn't do it. The other, we have the fun of carefree living. I'm not worried about where we'll live; we just need to find out which option it will be. We are leaving to go to Wisconsin on Friday, June 5th, and we need to have moved before that. Time is passing by quickly for us. Apparently not so much for the lender and realtor.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Fun Weekend
Saturday afternoon was Joshua's graduation, and as far as graduations go, it was a really nice one. There was relatively little tension between Joshua's mom and dad, which I was thankful for. I don't do well with tension. My only source of concern for the day was seven-year-old Mary leaning on the balcony railing during the ceremony. I was picturing her tumbling over the side and down to the first level below. Lesson learned. Don't choose to sit in the first row of the balcony even if it does give you a great view.
Here's a picture from the day. The license plate finally makes sense. Joshua got it five years ago to put on his junky, rusty old Pathfinder as a joke. It's a joke no more. Now it's just pretentious.
Today we went with the family to the Springfield art fair. I was imagining more of crafty art fair. You know the kind, like with goose outfits and yard art. This one was a real art fair, with average prices in the hundreds of dollars. Needless to say, I didn't purchase anything. I wanted to buy something from Lynn Krause's booth. She had some gorgeous pastels. I'm trying to decide if it would be offensive to email her and ask her if she ever considered making prints of her pieces. That would be a much more affordable option for me.
So, a nice weekend with nice weather and time spent with family. Now we're on vacation for several weeks. No stress, just working on figuring out where we're living in Peoria. We have to be out of this apartment by June 12. The house inspection is Thursday. I'll let you know how it goes.
Here's a picture from the day. The license plate finally makes sense. Joshua got it five years ago to put on his junky, rusty old Pathfinder as a joke. It's a joke no more. Now it's just pretentious.
Today we went with the family to the Springfield art fair. I was imagining more of crafty art fair. You know the kind, like with goose outfits and yard art. This one was a real art fair, with average prices in the hundreds of dollars. Needless to say, I didn't purchase anything. I wanted to buy something from Lynn Krause's booth. She had some gorgeous pastels. I'm trying to decide if it would be offensive to email her and ask her if she ever considered making prints of her pieces. That would be a much more affordable option for me.
So, a nice weekend with nice weather and time spent with family. Now we're on vacation for several weeks. No stress, just working on figuring out where we're living in Peoria. We have to be out of this apartment by June 12. The house inspection is Thursday. I'll let you know how it goes.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Second Graduation
Today is the last day of medical school for my dear husband, and tomorrow is graduation. We made it! What a wonderful ending to a long eight years of education. I really can't complain. We live a nice life. That's the norm for us, though. Joshua likes to say that he's the luckiest guy in the world, and I must agree. More often than not, things just work out. Here's an example from just this afternoon.
So, my husband decides he wants to start buying razor blades at Sam's because they're so much cheaper. Okay, Sam's doesn't sell blades for his current razor, so he'll need to buy the stick and the blades to begin with. Then, on to bulk-buying savings for the rest of his life. This decision was made yesterday, as he threw away his last blade to his current razor. Today after lunch we make a fast trip to Sam's to buy razors, because of course he needs to shave before the pre-graduation reception tonight. We pull into a busy Sam's, get the best parking spot in the lot, and dash inside. This is when a very unlucky problem occurs. Sam's sells lots of razor blades at great pricea, but no single razor sticks. So, I'm pessimistically thinking, great, now we need to go to another store. Bummer. Oh, wait, Joshua is about to get lucky, as is the norm. We're walking toward the registers when an employee at a table offers Joshua a free disposable razor. It's sample time at Sam's, and Joshua just got what he needed most at that moment. Joshua just smiled and thought again about how lucky he is.
You must be thinking that it would be hard to not be jealous of such a lucky person. It's not a problem really. I'm quite a lucky gal myself. No complaints here.
So, my husband decides he wants to start buying razor blades at Sam's because they're so much cheaper. Okay, Sam's doesn't sell blades for his current razor, so he'll need to buy the stick and the blades to begin with. Then, on to bulk-buying savings for the rest of his life. This decision was made yesterday, as he threw away his last blade to his current razor. Today after lunch we make a fast trip to Sam's to buy razors, because of course he needs to shave before the pre-graduation reception tonight. We pull into a busy Sam's, get the best parking spot in the lot, and dash inside. This is when a very unlucky problem occurs. Sam's sells lots of razor blades at great pricea, but no single razor sticks. So, I'm pessimistically thinking, great, now we need to go to another store. Bummer. Oh, wait, Joshua is about to get lucky, as is the norm. We're walking toward the registers when an employee at a table offers Joshua a free disposable razor. It's sample time at Sam's, and Joshua just got what he needed most at that moment. Joshua just smiled and thought again about how lucky he is.
You must be thinking that it would be hard to not be jealous of such a lucky person. It's not a problem really. I'm quite a lucky gal myself. No complaints here.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Gypsy Mandi
I always laugh because it seems that no matter where Joshua and I live, we are forever driving somewhere else to visit. This weekend, I was in the car to visit my parents.
Before I got to Orion, I stopped off in Peoria to visit Vanilla Bean Counter. We made some gluten free bread for our dearest mother. It turned out okay, just caved in on top. That's pretty typical for gluten free products. Jon G. said it tasted great, and it was a nice mother's day present. Vanilla Bean Counter and I also went out to dinner and stalked a house she might be interested in. Basically, the usual fun Peoria stop off.
After arriving at my parents house later that evening, Jon G. and I chit-chatted for some time. It was really nice. I miss that lady.
Saturday was a long day of shopping. We're usually not big shoppers, but Mom needed something to wear to Tottie's graduation. Oh, she's just the baby, and I'll be so sad when she takes Little Puppy Maia and heads of to Arizona to live. Anyway, that's a whole different story. So, we found something for graduation, and I talked with Joshua several times regarding our split level. We settled on a price with the sellers, so if the inspection on this one goes better than the last one, it will be ours on June first. More to come on that later.
Sunday was a day to celebrate mothers, and we certainly did that. Mom and I peddled our bikes up to church and then left them outside unchained during the service. It was so nice to be back in good old Orion, where you can leave your bike unrestrained and not worry about it being stolen. Oh, Springfield, you've been good this year, but that bike theft has scarred me. After church, we met Tottie and Grandma Bev out for lunch. Overall, a good lunch with only one incident of something inappropriate being said. I'll spare you the awkward details. The afternoon was spent at the farm visiting Grandma Norma. We chatted and had a nice time enjoying the weather.
Today I traveled back to Springfield after one of the best weekends. Funny enough, my graduation from SIUE was on Saturday. What a nice graduation. Rather than spending it uncomfortable and bored in a cap and gown, I was fun and fancy free. Good choice.
Goals for this week include finalizing and mailing licensure paperwork, planning brunch for Joshua's graduation weekend, and working on some Etsy stuff. I have such a nice life.
Before I got to Orion, I stopped off in Peoria to visit Vanilla Bean Counter. We made some gluten free bread for our dearest mother. It turned out okay, just caved in on top. That's pretty typical for gluten free products. Jon G. said it tasted great, and it was a nice mother's day present. Vanilla Bean Counter and I also went out to dinner and stalked a house she might be interested in. Basically, the usual fun Peoria stop off.
After arriving at my parents house later that evening, Jon G. and I chit-chatted for some time. It was really nice. I miss that lady.
Saturday was a long day of shopping. We're usually not big shoppers, but Mom needed something to wear to Tottie's graduation. Oh, she's just the baby, and I'll be so sad when she takes Little Puppy Maia and heads of to Arizona to live. Anyway, that's a whole different story. So, we found something for graduation, and I talked with Joshua several times regarding our split level. We settled on a price with the sellers, so if the inspection on this one goes better than the last one, it will be ours on June first. More to come on that later.
Sunday was a day to celebrate mothers, and we certainly did that. Mom and I peddled our bikes up to church and then left them outside unchained during the service. It was so nice to be back in good old Orion, where you can leave your bike unrestrained and not worry about it being stolen. Oh, Springfield, you've been good this year, but that bike theft has scarred me. After church, we met Tottie and Grandma Bev out for lunch. Overall, a good lunch with only one incident of something inappropriate being said. I'll spare you the awkward details. The afternoon was spent at the farm visiting Grandma Norma. We chatted and had a nice time enjoying the weather.
Today I traveled back to Springfield after one of the best weekends. Funny enough, my graduation from SIUE was on Saturday. What a nice graduation. Rather than spending it uncomfortable and bored in a cap and gown, I was fun and fancy free. Good choice.
Goals for this week include finalizing and mailing licensure paperwork, planning brunch for Joshua's graduation weekend, and working on some Etsy stuff. I have such a nice life.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
More Felt
Okay, so I know all of my millions of readers must be sick of my felt projects, but I'm not. So, here's the latest, available on my etsy store, as always. 
I think it turned out cute as a button. Little baby Aldhelm will love one in his room. (Yes, Vanilla Bean Counter, I am trying to get used to Aldhelm, even though there is a baby names website that lists Adhelm as the spelling. Do you know the sacrifices I go through for you?)
I think it turned out cute as a button. Little baby Aldhelm will love one in his room. (Yes, Vanilla Bean Counter, I am trying to get used to Aldhelm, even though there is a baby names website that lists Adhelm as the spelling. Do you know the sacrifices I go through for you?)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
It's in the Mail
Yesterday was my last trip ever to Edwardsville. I had my final exit interview with my adviser. All of my clinical hours and classes are checked off, and I'm ready for my diploma, which will be mailed to me in a few weeks.
It struck me as odd when I left campus yesterday how void of emotion I was. When I graduated from my undergrad program, there were hugs and congratulations from all the professors and encouragements to stay in touch about the transition to grad school and eventually to a career. I have a lot of complaints about Augustana, but I also have many fond memories of the Communication Sciences and Disorders department. It's interesting to me how little the past two years at SIUE have impacted me. My adviser didn't care about my job, and when I left yesterday, I felt no warmth or sadness. Southern really was just another hoop to jump through on my way to a job. And that's okay. Someone told me once (or more than once) as I complained about different aspects of Southern, "That's what you get from a state school."
So, thanks Southern for getting me a master's degree, but I won't miss you. It's been a great two years, marriage, moving to Litchfield and Springfield, meeting my forever friend, watching my husband finish medical school this spring, but graduating from Southern just doesn't register as an important life event.
It struck me as odd when I left campus yesterday how void of emotion I was. When I graduated from my undergrad program, there were hugs and congratulations from all the professors and encouragements to stay in touch about the transition to grad school and eventually to a career. I have a lot of complaints about Augustana, but I also have many fond memories of the Communication Sciences and Disorders department. It's interesting to me how little the past two years at SIUE have impacted me. My adviser didn't care about my job, and when I left yesterday, I felt no warmth or sadness. Southern really was just another hoop to jump through on my way to a job. And that's okay. Someone told me once (or more than once) as I complained about different aspects of Southern, "That's what you get from a state school."
So, thanks Southern for getting me a master's degree, but I won't miss you. It's been a great two years, marriage, moving to Litchfield and Springfield, meeting my forever friend, watching my husband finish medical school this spring, but graduating from Southern just doesn't register as an important life event.
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