A Stye - Yuk!

So I'm not very happy this evening. I seem to have developed a stye in my right eye. My lower eyelid is very puffy, and this makes me sad. I picked up some eyedrops that are supposed to help with the irritation and swelling, so hopefully this horrid thing starts to shrink and disappear ASAP. Ugh - I really disdain eye problems...

"Messenger"

I found the third book in Lois Lowry's trilogy at the library. Started the book on Tuesday night, finished it Wednesday night. Good stuff. Not exactly what I expected, and the first book is still my favorite, but it is nice to have made my way through all three... especially considering the fact that they are such quick reads...

So for those of you who enjoy novels about the future and failed "utopias", I recommend the trilogy (The Giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger). Keep in mind that they are intended for young adults, so they are not extremely involved, and the foreshadowing is hugely blatant and obvious. :-)

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...

Saturday Night Campfire

So, our first day in Marion was good. Matt and his brother Nathan were able to check out the car and determine that a good majority of the work that our mechanics had suggested probably doesn't need to be done for a while. They were also able to figure out why the check engine light had come on. It's nice to be related to people who know what they are doing with cars and like helping out. :-)

After the boys were done, we all headed out to the house of Nathan and Kimberly's Sunday School teachers, who let lots of people use their yard regularly. They have a pond, and a huge fire pit. They have paddle boats/canoes, and all sorts of facilities in place just to make their yard a good place for large group hangouts. Nate and Kim regularly hang out there with friends from school/church. They still have friends from school in the area, so some of their friends also came along to hang out. We cooked burgers and made s'mores. Some people fished and caught a couple fish. We made a huge fire in the firepit and burned lots of random wood. And Nathan even killed a snake - probably the gross highlight of the evening.

I will have to tell more about the snake in person. The only camera I had at the time was on my phone, so I'll have to see if I can get the pics off of it somehow. I think everyone else knows a way... we'll see about getting that done after I'm home again.

Anyway - gotta get to bed b/c church starts at 9 AM EST, which means 8 AM Central, and I'm still tired from only getting 4 hours of sleep last night. Goodnight!

On the Road Again

We are about 3.5 hours away from our destination. It's sunny, and I'm excited that I discovered how to make my laptop screen brighter. Also, very cool thing about the Vibe is that it has an outlet that I can plug my laptop into. Basically, I have my entire office in the car now. Fun times. :-)

So - exciting news of the moment - Just before we left yesterday, Matt and I were able to stop over at Ali and Abe's new house for a tour. Very fun! We are excited that they will be living so close to us so we will be able to hang out more easily - that is as long as our busy schedules have some open spots...

So anyway, I'm not sure what the plans are for the weekend, so it'll be an adventure! I know that we are hoping to get some work done on the car, and Matt brought his Xbox and a TV, so they'll probably play some games. I remembered to bring my current crochet project and some books and magazines... We'll have to see what we end up doing. I'm definitely excited about having a 4-day weekend! If only gas weren't $4 a gallon...