Along the Mississippi

Matt and I decided to take a break from work today to go on a bike ride. What a wonderful day for a ride! Warm enough that we didn't need coats, yet cool enough that we didn't sweat much at all. We saw some gorgeous houses and rode along some great trails. We were glad we headed northwest instead of our typical direction of southeast. Riding along the river was much more interesting that what we've done before. It was so serene up there - so much so that it almost seemed that we were much further from home. It was definitely a nice break from work.

From my Uncle Pete, a US Airways pilot...

Pete's thoughts: http://investorbustours.com/commentary/71/

Freedom from shopping

For those of you that talk with me regularly, you know that Matt and I have had an interesting winter so far with some major changes, specifically adjusting to living on a reduced income. Matt is currently in process of changing career directions, so it looks as though the reduced income is here to stay - at least for a while. A year or so ago, I don't know if I would have been ready for this much of a change, but I have been pleasantly surprised with how God has been able to use this to change my heart.

Matt was never a big spender, but I used to be so addicted to shopping. Scrapping supplies, things for the house, etc. - you name it - I bought it. Probably every other day or so I would stop somewhere (typically Target or Archivers) to look around, and I would almost always end up buying something that I didn't need. I wasn't spending more than we were earning, so I didn't bother to slow down or realize how much I was focusing on getting the next new thing, whatever it may be.

While Matt's spending habits have stayed mostly the same, I am so grateful that I have been forced to cut back. It has helped to break my desire for "stuff" that much more. I feel more free from things in this world now. I am at a point where if God called Matt and me to sell everything and go, I think I could happily do so.

Anyway, all this to say that when the going gets tough, God does good things. And I've got some free time before the spring semester starts, so I figured it was time for another post. :-)

It's done...finally!

It's finally done, and it only took me a year to complete. It's my first, fully-finished yarn project... My new scarf!

Busy Busy!

It has been ages since I posted. :-( Sorry!

I have been so distracted with things lately. School, work, and now practicing for the Christmas concert have taken over. Oh, but I am glad to have found some time for scrapping. My Christmas cards are done way ahead of schedule! Now to get together addresses...

I have only one more "learning" class left for the semester, and one additional class for presenting final papers. Still not sure what I am going to do for my final paper, but I will probably choose a topic tomorrow. I also have to participate in a discussion board this week for class. School is so close to wrapping up - wow did the semester fly by! I do like being in school, but I will be glad to have one less thing on my plate between December 16th and the end of January.

The music for orchestra is manageable, but I am having to practice a lot, and I'm still struggling on the fast parts. Though this is to be expected, I'm a little more nervous since I've lost Jennifer D., Jenny W., and all the other wonderful flautists who could sight read stuff that I couldn't even dream of playing up to speed... I do think with a bit more practice, it will come together nicely, though. And I have three other flute players joining me, so hopefully they practice hard this next week, also. Gosh darn flute parts - they are always so fast!

And one more thing about orchestra - yay for the strong Xpedition turnout! We are definitely representing. Hopefully I'm not forgetting anyone, but our class has contributed two trumpets, a french horn, a trombone, a saxaphone, a clarinet, a viola, a flute/pennywhistle, and a somewhat reluctant auxilliary percussionist.
:-) Woohoo! Anyone else want to join? There's still time!

I so want to just practice and not think about projects for school... can you tell?

Third time's a charm...

So, as some of you may know, in the course of building these tables, Matt has accidentally inflicted minor wounds on me two times before tonight. On his third try, which happened tonight, he actually managed to break skin. My shins are now covered with band-aids and neosporin to help prevent infections. :-)

After all that, I really wanted a root beer float. I tried to play the "broken and bruised wife" card in order to obtain said float. My scheme may have failed, but I did manage to get a smoothie out of the deal.

Matt's Birthday

Our tradition in the past couple of years has been for the person with the birthday to decide what they want, and then the other person gets it for them. This takes the stress out of present shopping and helps to limit the amount of $$ we waste on each other.

This year, Matt thought and thought and thought about what he wanted for his birthday. My mom got him a very fun "grill master" apron, which he promptly put to good use. But he could not think of anything that he wanted me to spend money on. What he did have was a good idea...

Matt has been getting very frustrated lately with his spices. In particular, finding the right spice when it is needed seems impossible, and purchasing duplicate items is a relatively common occurrance. So, Matt asked that for his birthday, I organize his food/spice cabinets. There was a twist on this request, but I'll keep that between Matt and me. :-)

And the result? We now have a shelves for all drink related items (hot cocoa, tea, coffee, lemonade, etc.), sweet baking items, other baking items (crisco, cornmeal, baking soda/powder), flour items, noodles/rice, meat rubs/seasonings (thanks Allison and Elizabeth!), and the elusive spices.

Most of the stuff is just now a little easier to locate due to the categorization system, but most of all, we are happy about how the spices turned out. We made an after dinner trip to the store to pick up a lazy susan and a tiered spice shelf, both of which make our spices much easier to locate. Don't you agree?

Yay for a productive evening, and yay for Matt's birthday! Now we are off to celebrate a little more before bed. Goodnight, everyone!

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

I laughed, I cried.... it was good. And why? I would say because if you look beyond the fairy tale relationships and experiences, you see true emotions. Friendship, loss, sadness, anger, forgiveness... - these movies have it all. And I am in a wonderful mood lately to be taking it all in. What a great way to spend a Tuesday night!

Yay for the Weekend!

Matt and I barely did anything today, and it was great! We did go to the bookstore to by my books for my fall class and finish sealing the table we built. We also made a stop by the library and the grocery store, picked up a redbox movie, and spent the majority of the day reading, playing games, watching the movie we rented, eating (mmmm... mixed berry smoothies...), and doing a variety of other relaxing activities.

And again, Max jumped the fence while I was supervising. That darn cat! At least I know I can still jump the fence to grab him before he gets too far. :-D

Now I think it's time for some more reading. Yes, I think I will leave all email-checking and tuition-reimbursement-application-writing for tomorrow. Procrastination is what I do best on Saturdays....

Laundry and Road Trips

I have found that the best time to do laundry is right before bed. I just can't seem to motivate myself to start it any earlier in the day. Why do I have this problem? I have no idea. But at least my laundry will be done before Matt and I leave town after work tomorrow!

By the way, we are going out of town to see family in Southern Indiana. We are staying at a cabin with my mom and Kevin, Aunt Alix and Uncle Greg, Aunt Carol and Uncle Jason. Everyone else will be there, too, but they will be staying elsewhere. It should be a fun time. Two weekends in a row that we will be on a roadtrip! And this one Matt and I get to spend together while listening to books on tape. I wonder what he has planned for us to listen to this time... :-)

Summer Plans

Matt and I have a lot of fun summer plans. We are almost booked solid! Camping, trips to Indiana, visits from family, more camping, etc. I've really been wanting to sew a microfiber futon cover and loveseat slip cover for our living room, but I'm just not finding the time - too many other priorities. I also was hoping to help Matt make some new tables for our living room, but seeing as I can't even do a bit of sewing, there's no way we'll get to making tables.

I'm a little bummed, but I'd much rather do what I'm doing instead - spending time hanging out. Come fall, I'll be back in school, and homework will once again take over my non-work life. Registration for fall classes starts July 7th. The summer is ending way too quickly! At least I've convinced myself to only do one class at a time. Taking 6 years to complete my masters is okay, right? I mean, they only require that we complete it within 7 years...

Allergy Shots

I love getting allergy shots. It's my one good excuse to take a long break in the middle of the workday. I especially love getting shots in the summer. I drive to the clinic with my window down and the music blaring - wind blowing my hair into millions of tiny knots. Then, once the shots are done, I'm required to sit in the office for 30 minutes while I wait to make sure I'm not going to have a major reaction. Of course, I will probably never have a major reaction, but I still like the fact that I get to sit for 30 minutes and not feel guilty about not utilizing my time better.

So today I have chosen to blog, since it has been a very long time since I last did so. Last week, I had a few spare moments, but I spent the time designing a new blog skin instead of blogging. I have yet to find free time to actually get the code in place, but at least I have all the graphics ready to go. :-)

Sunday

We went to morning and evening church yesterday. It was nice to be so close to the church so not much time was wasted in the car. A group went out for Chinese food for lunch after church - good stuff.

We spent some time chilling at the house. The boys spent some time at the nearby university hitting and then chasing a few little white balls while Kim and I walked to nearby stores to scope out some deals. It was really warm out, so we came home to cool off. Before evening church, Kim and I did a little more scouting for deals, but it was pretty quick shopping.

After evening church, some friends came over and Nathan grilled some chicken legs while the ladies who cook make some veggies and mashed potatoes. Good food. Then we just hung out for a while and watched a couple of funny videos on youtube.

Also, Kim and I had talked a bit about books we liked, and I mentioned the book, "The Giver," by Lois Lowry that I liked so much when I was younger. Kim happened to have a copy of the companion book that came just after it, so I read it and finished it this morning. I was bummed about the ending, b/c it seemed to just be starting, but then I realized that there was still a third book to read. I tried to reserve it at the library, but I realized that my card had expired since its last use. Bummer. But I will definitely try to make it in to the library when we get back home. I love young adult books - they are such quick and easy reads! I can actually finish them before I get distracted with other projects and activities!

It is now noon (1 PM eastern) on Monday, and not much as happened yet. We're contemplating being active, but it is so hot that activity doesn't necessarily sound fun. I think the boys are planning a trip to the auto parts store to buy a new serpentine belt for the Vibe. I think I'll just stay here and chill...

Smoothies and Sundaes

Smoothies and Sundaes - wouldn't you say that this combination makes the best dinner ever? I would. And that is what I had for dinner tonight. Ahh, the cool, liquidy-ness of them both - it just makes my throat and tummy happy.

So apparently warmer weather makes me lose my appetite for real food... a glass of lemonade is sounding really good right about now... :-)

New Carpet

For those of you who don't know, the carpet in our house is not exactly my favorite. I do dislike the kitchen floor more, but I don't want to mess with anything in the kitchen unless we are redoing the whole thing. Carpet, on the other hand, can be replaced whenever.

So, in the near future (sometime in early April?), Matt and I will be recarpeting a significant portion of our house.

And here are my questions:
Does anyone want to give us a hand (assuming it works in the schedule)? If so, we will be in your debt... just something to think about.

Also, who knows where we can trash old carpet? Jennifer, you may know since you and Ben recarpeted during your last move... any help is appreciated!

New Job

It's been a while - sorry for slacking. I have been busy, though, as you can probably tell from the title of this post.

I started my new job on Wednesday. Things are going really well so far, and I am having fun while learning a lot. :-) My co-workers are friendly and helpful, and I'm excited to be there. It's also exciting to finally have a job that I can expect to keep for a longer period of time. It will be nice not to have to perform a third annual job search next February/March.

So, here's a thought. I like comments, but I rarely write posts that lend themselves to comments. Why don't I start providing a question at the end of some posts that will hopefully encourage some sharing? Here's the question for this post:

What has been your favorite job/career so far, and what was it about that job that made you like it so much?

Please write a comment! (Also, I may turn on comment moderation so I can be sure to see all comments, even to older posts.)

The joy of weekends and warmer weather...

It's Saturday! And that means sleeping in, chocolate chip pancakes with Matt, and finally some time to get things done for the day and still have some time left for random fun!

I have two things I need to do today (other than clean, which I'm leaving for next week when I'll be at home.) I have to do laundry, and I have to read for class. Other than that, I've been taking a long break from job hunting since I'm excited about my current lead and it's looking pretty likely. In other words, no job hunting is needed today... Hmm... I do have a collection of 4 phone messages that I have not responded to - seems I let those sit while I dealt with other pressing matters....

I really would like to get outside today, but it's still pretty cold. Maybe it would be best just to get out of the house. It's so sunny and bright - it makes me think of springtime. Maybe I'll make a trek down to the MOA? That is always fun - and I could stop by IKEA? I like shopping on sunny days. I walk faster and smile more. It makes the experience that much more fun. Yay for Saturdays and warmer weather!!

Another day, another dollar...

Today was interesting. Since I had an interview yesterday, I took last night and today off from touching anything remotely related to a job search. This is probably best, anyway, b/c I have spent the majority of my time at work this week getting "job search things" rolling.

So today I was able to get a good amount of information/knowledge transferred and cleaned out, so that was good. I also helped out with a mini-project that the director of our area needed, so I felt good about that...

And here's the interesting stuff...

I did find out that the interview went well from the interviewer's perspective also, and on top of it, some conversations at work led to the director of our area letting me know that if things don't work out with the job I interviewed for, it may be an option to extend my temp contract depending on the work that needs to be done.

What an emotional rollercoaster of a week. I know my co-workers are feeling this, too, b/c my availability affects their workload down the road. It's a bummer that the initial announcement was made, b/c now I'm in the mindset of leaving, and I know that leaving would also take me in a direction that I would love to go...

Anyway, I'm excited for the coming weeks and continuing the interview process. It should be an adventure!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Yesterday after class, I came home to Matt and found a collection of Gerbera daisies on the kitchen table. What a sweetie. :-)

So, we were planning on keeping it low-key. I have been swamped with job hunting/school, so I was glad to keep things low-key.

Then today happened.

First of all, I had an interview for a job that seems like it would be a good fit. I got the interview because my wonderful co-worker Holly passed along a job description that her other-half had posted for a position in his office. There are a series of events that need to happen before any offers can be made, so I'll have nothing more concrete to say about that until sometime in March. Anyway, I am really excited about having found such a strong possibility so quickly. (Thanks to Holly.)

Second of all, when I got home today, I immediately ran to tell Matt all of the details of my day (as I typically do). Eventually, he asked me if I had seen my flowers yet. I hadn't looked, but I remembered that the Gerbera daisies had looked slightly lonely in our large vase, so I checked the kitchen table, and lo and behold, the vase was filled with even more flowers. I also noticed that there was an envelope tucked in the flowers, so I opened it and read the note Matt had left for me. Here is what the note said:

"Search first inside an old device where we get political advice."

He had created a riddle-based scavenger hunt for me! (Oh, how well he knows me...) I continued to follow clues to find more clues, until I got to the end. Each clue after the flowers was hidden with a piece of Ghirardelli dark chocolate. What fun! For those of you who are like me, here are the clues Matt left. Comment on which ones you think you know, and I'll post the answers sometime in the future.

1. Search first inside an old device where we get political advice.
2. To find me is hard, this do not doubt. A light for when all other lights go out.
3. I'm so glad that you're my wife, apple of my eye, love of my life.
4. I don't like it when you cry, no not at all, but if you do, I'll cushion your fall.
5. You want to have small babies to kiss, so leave me alone. I'm no help for this.
6. You put me inside a home far too small. A buffalo I am, strong, proud, and tall.
7. A treat we serve in Brittish style, sometimes it makes our guests smile.
8. I haven't been paid in years, I regret. You probably owe me $60 I bet.
9. If not for me, I'm not so sure you would have loved Matt Cromer.
10. Come claim your reward you have now won. Let's go out to eat and have lots of fun!

So, even if you don't know the answers to clues 1-9, clue 10 should be clear enough. Matt and I went out to Chili's to spend the rest of one of our gift cards from Christmas. And we got an appetizer. And we took pictures of each other. And I looked good in my picture. :-)

Altogether, it was a wonderful, beautiful, no bad, very good day.

Max's Return

And life in the Cromer household is now back to normal... including Max's personal cleaning service and Mattie's snuggle time with her brother.