I'm Weird

So, at the request of my good pal Julianna, I will confess to you 6 things that are down right strange about me. You may or may not know that:

1)Babies frighten me. I've never really been around very small children much which is probably why I don't know how to behave around them. That and the "you don't want to get pregnant and ruin your life" speech we all heard when we were in high school. Maybe the negative connotation got to me. Yeah, I'll probably make a terrible Mom. Thank goodness they'll at least have Nick. :) **As a side note, yesterday was the very first time - ever- I have felt the want to have a baby, so maybe I'm having a break through of some kind.

2)I have a budget, an excel spreadsheet for all expenses during the month (with formulas), an amortization schedule for all of our loans with a targeted payoff date (I created in excel), balance my check book to the penny, and plan to do a complete analysis of how the budget worked out for the year making any modifications I feel are necessary. - I'm a teensy bit anal about finances.

3)I have a dwarf thumb. Tis true. Fortunately for me this tiny freak of nature isn't really noticeable. In other words, I don't have people come up and comment on the wondrously small size of my phalange.

4)I love my job. I get to work with data and create reports and learn cool new things with excel and access and other databases. Nick thinks I'm insane.

5) I have never permed, died, highlighted, etc. my hair, and I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 21. My hair-do is frighteningly similar to the hair-do I had in the second grade. Risk averse. Maybe.

6)I'm a younger version of the crazy old cat lady. I love my cat, crocheting, and cooking.

So top that! :)

Update.....a little late

To the one person who reads my blog, I apologize for my lack of recent posts. :)It's been a busy time, that's for sure. Christmas was glorious. We got to go to Missouri and spend it with all of the Moss'. The weather was grand and relatively mild for that time of the year - glad we're not there now, though! I got to cook lots and relax and not do much of anything. We got to go to a college friend's wedding as well and see lots of people we haven't seen in a while.
Now it's back to the old grind stone again, but it's not so bad. Classes have started for me yet again, but I think I'll be o.k. It'll be a lot of work (I have a 20 page term paper in one of my classes, and between the two, 4 group projects....I loathe group projects).
Work continues to go well. I will have my first review in my new position this coming month. I am anticipating a good one. I am learning so much it's unbelievable! My boss is really a good leader. I have been able to learn and grow so much with his help. I feel blessed for sure with a great family, church, and job. I really can't complain.
Well, I wanted to leave you with a couple pictues from Christmas. Enjoy!and I hope your 2007 is going well so far.

Thanksgiving Bliss

Nick and I made it safely to and from South Carolina yesterday evening. I was not ready to come back home, I must admit! We had a great time. It was nice to get away and be with people that you can really be yourself around. Being married to a church worker, I usually have to mind all my p's and q's and not fully be myself sometimes, so I revel in the opportunity to "let my hair down". Poor Dave and Sonya! :) Dave did a fantastic job with Thanksgiving dinner! The turkey was fabulous, and so were the trimmings! Here's a picture of the beautiful table that was set -







On Saturday we played "tourists" and saw the sites of Hilton Head. Here's pictures of us at Harbor Town:



All in all it was a great time. I made a new friend, Savannah (Dave and Sonya's cat). Ate some good food, and had a wonderful time in general. Wish you didn't live so far away!

Yea for Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for Thanksgiving! Tomorrow Nick and I are traveling to Hilton Head, SC to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with our good college buddies Dave and Sonya T. I have been waiting for this for a long time.

Is it just me, or do you find that when you get older vacations are even more cherished than when you were a kid? I do. I appreciate them much more now. I am definitely ready for one, too.

The stinky thing is that I still have to go to class tonight and since the prof said that this lecture and the next will be the bulk of the final exam, I really have to focus. Double poop! I just have to make it through tonight, and then I get a nice break.

So keep us in your prayers, and I will try to post some pictures of what I know will be a fabulous Thanksgiving. - I get to cook with Dave!

P.S. Also Nick caught a cold yesterday, so pray for him. For me, pray that I don't pig out too much! :)

What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine....

Don't we often times have that attitude when it comes with God and money? I know I'm guilty of it some times. Nick and I are in the middle of a 10 week Bible Study on how to Biblically handle your finances. It's certainly been an eye opener, and a convicting but at the same time, growing experience. Who knew God has given us so much direct guidance through His Word regarding our (really His) possessions. Did you know that there are more than 2300 bible verses regarding money/possessions? Gee, I wonder why? I think that he knew us stupid, self-serving humans would have an ongoing struggle with this issue. It encompasses so much of our lives. We need money to feed, dress, and shelter ourselves. Everything we seem to do "costs" something. What should we spend the money that God has given us on?

I have always heard the term "steward", but never bothered to learn exactly what that word means. A steward is defined as someone who manages the assets of the master. How are you managing your Master's assets? OUCH.

As if I didn't think about money enough already, I now think about every purchase I make - is this a God-pleasing purchase? Though, I must admit, that this awareness has been a blessing. I worry about money much less than I used to because I know He is going to always provide. If I'm faithful, He has also promised to be faithful.

Nick and now have a "game plan" to get out of debt completely (something previously unimagined). I thought that we were doing pretty good - we don't have credit card debt, or debt on furniture, a t.v., etc. All we have is the house, the car, and student loans (lots of student loans - ON Concordia, and on and on and on!). I learned that "Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender." Proverbs 22:7 If you think about it, it does make sense. Just think of how much I could do for God if I wasn't paying all this money to creditors?

Everyone needs to learn what God's plan is for managing finances. I think it's one of those things that people don't like to talk about - it's taboo. How dare you tell someone what they should be doing with "their" money! They can handle it perfectly fine on their own, thank you very much! But if we are going to truly turn our lives over to God, that includes our finances. A really cool dude named Martin Luther once said that to love God there must be "A conversion of the heart, the mind, and the purse."

The study has been amazing so far, and I encourage everyone to learn more about God's will regarding your finances. The things He asks of us are sometimes not the easiest, and the world often screams the opposite message in our face, but with Christ all things are possible.

Change, You've got to be kidding me!

Yeah, that was the title of our sermon this past Sunday. Isn't that how we feel most of the time? I know I do. Just when you have gotten into the swing of things, something else comes into the picture and throws a kink in the wheels. A couple our age that we have made friends with down here just told us Monday night that they are going to be moving to Michigan for a job promotion. Do you know how hard it is to make friends nowadays? While I am happy for them, it still makes me a little sad for me. You know, it's my selfish human nature rearing its ugly head once more. Then again I should be used to having my friends living at the four corners of the U.S.

But I digress, not all change is bad. One exciting change that is about to begin is changes to our house. We have been wanting to make some changes to our house - it needs a few improvements, that's for sure - but we really didn't know how to go about it all and what to do first. Of course, God being the giver of all good things and the supplier of every need (and a few wants, too) brought a wonderful lady into our lives to help us out. She is fabulous. She is going to help us get a "game plan" for our house, and work with our budget and our timeline. She has already come over to our house and met with us, and tomorrow, we get to go talk to her about choosing products and getting ready for the instillation. This weekend, Nick and I will begin scraping off our popcorn ceiling that has started to fall down. Fun fun fun! Hopefully it won't be too bad. We have to get the ceilings done before the new floors come in, and that should prove to be quite a task.

Anyway, I should get you some before pictures, and then some after photos when it's all said and done.

Moral of the story, not all change is bad, and we can rest assured that we have a Changeless God who works for the good of those who love Him. So we know He uses change to mold us and shape our character. How lucky are we that we should be called His children? Change! Let it begin with me.....

The Armadillo

Have you ever seen one of these repulsive creatures? Well I have, and I saw it last night about 5 feet from me. They are gross! So, it was bedtime, and time for Charles to come inside for the night. He seemed mesmorized by something in the bushes. I figured it was the neighbor cat again that likes to come over and play sometimes. But there was no meowing. And this "thing" kept moving.

So I do what any other damsel in distress would do. I screamed for Nick to come out there and rescue me. "There's something in the bushes!!!! Get out here!" Just grab the cat and come in he replys. There is no way I'm going out there not knowing what in the world is waiting for me. What if it were a skunk, and it was rabid, or it sprayed me?

Just then the "thing" emerged from the bushes. And behold, it was a nasty armadillo digging around the yard for his dinner. This thing is pretty big too. So I scream. Finally, this gets Nick's attention. He comes out and says, "Oh, it's just an armadillo." Just an armadillo!! This nasty thing is in our yard just feet away from us and the cat. Now, I know that these things are blind, and nocturnal by nature. Nick, armed with the BBQ grilling brush, claps his hands really loud and stomps his foot. Like a lightening bolt, this thing books it across our yard to it's apparent home under our shed in the back yard. ........Lovely. The horrid beast has made it's home inches from our porch. Great. How do I know this you say? I saw the nasty thing early one morning a couple of weeks ago rooting around our back yard. Plus it ran in a perfecly straight line right to the hole below our shed....like he'd been there a time or two.

So, does anyone know how to get rid of an armadillo?

Pet Pandemonium

They say when it rains it pours. Well, it's been raining cats and dogs (badoom ching!) in Clara, TX where the rents reside.

It all started a couple of weeks ago when Mr. Kitty took a turn for the worst. Mom called to let me know that he wasn't doing well, and they were taking him to the vet. When they took him in, it was determined that Mr. Kitty's time on earth was drawing nigh. His liver was failing and he wouldn't last much longer. So my parents made the decision to go ahead to put him to sleep. He had a good 17 1/2 years. I can't believe he lived so long. So now Mr. Kitty is keeping my brother company. ***Question of the day - Do you think pets go to heaven? Some say yes, others say no."*** So, once the pain had ended, the vet boxed him up and they went home and buried him under a tree in the back yard. It was my dad's first pet funeral. They said a prayer of thanksgiving for his companionship and the joy he had brought them over the years.

I thought my mom would have a really hard time with it, but she has done pretty well. God works in mysterious ways. So, just days before Mr. Kitty departed from us, mom and dad were out walking the dogs (they live out in the country in the middle of nowhere) and were about a mile from their house. Dad said he thought he heard meowing, and then a little 3mo. old kitten popped out of the bushes. What are the odds? I can't believe that thing was alive considering all of the wild beasts that roam that area - bob cats, mountain lions, wild boars, snakes, you name it. Anyway, that thing must be awfully smart - it followed them home -- all the way home and let them pet him and even pick him up. Which makes them think that someone just dropped him off out there - to me unfathomable. Well, mom couldn't be cold hearted, and set out some food for him. They named it Vernon (after the town my mother teaches in). He has been trying to prove himself worthy ever since that day. He used the litter box immediately after mom showed it to him, so as to show her he knew exactly how to do is duty. He caught this massive field rat about half the size he was and brought it to the porch as a token of his appreciation. And, finally, he somehow made it into church on Sunday!
So now Vernon fills that empty spot on the bed where Mr. Kitty used to lay.
In other breaking news from little house on the prairie, mom and dad were out walking again - that same week- when they noticed one of the dogs wince and a little brown snake slither away. They couldn't tell if it was poisonous or not, but by the time they got home, Becky (the dog) was drooling uncontrollably, and her face was swelling up like a balloon. So, they rushed her into the Vet. Turns out, it was a prairie rattle snake, but after the doc administered steroids, antibiotics, and fluids through an IV, she was doing much better. They sent her home with more meds and some pain killers. Later that night dad went over to the other dog - Freckles- and noticed that his ear was about 3 times its normal size! So they gave him some meds and pain killers they had brought home.
That, I say, is plenty excitement for one week, wouldn't you think? My goodness. Pets, they bring joy, they bring excitement.

The past few days...Ups and Downs

Yes, it too has hit me. I have had this nasty cold for the past 3 days. But, alas, it will not prevail! I get sick once in a millennium, thankfully, and I think I am on the downhill slope of it. I haven't gone to the doctor yet, because the marvels of DayQuill and Tylenol Cold and Flu Nighttime seem to be doing great work. Fight the good fight glorious over-the-counter meds!
In other breaking news, Nick and I have new neighbors. I met the wife Tuesday, and Nick and I introduced ourselves to the husband last night (they were both mowing the lawn). They are young - late twenties - moved from Miami last year and this is their first house. I am excited. They seem very nice and quite. AND they have a nine month old Basset Hound!! As you know this is my favorite dog - the same dog that Nick has shunned and refuses to have as a pet. So maybe every once in a while I can get my basset fix. :)
Tomorrow is the High School Beach trip. We are going to Ft. Desoto for some fun in the sun. It will probably be the last time this year. School is starting back up for me next week, and the dreaded red tide is creeping up the coast as we speak. We have a few additions to our HS youth group from last year's 8th grade class. It's a good core group of 4 girls. I am thankful for that. We lost two seniors, but have gained 4 freshmen. I hope that they continue to come and be filled with God's love. The older kids are really good with accepting and including others, so the transition has been nice. Pray that we have a great event!
Well, I guess that's about it for now. I'll post again later~ Have a great weekend!

Yoda and Fozzie kin?

So I was driving to work a couple of days ago listening to the radio. Somehow the DJ and the traffic report girl got on the topic of Yoda. Then, of course, the DJ did his best Yoda impression (not bad either). As the conversation progressed, she said that he was starting to sound more like Fozzie than Yoda. (You know, Fozzie from the Muppets.)Then the traffic report girl pondered aloud, "I wonder if they're related." Immediately, I thought of the perfect person to ask - Julianna. Not only is half of her nickname Yoda, but she is the queen of pop culture as well. On top of that, she faithfully watches A Muppet's Christmas Carol every December. So, Julianna, are Fozzie and Yoda mysteriously related? Is there a bizarre pop culture path that joins the two? I must know!!! (Anyone else who thinks they know are welcome to comment as well; even if you don't have all the credentials as the infamous Spoda.) :)

Boring

I've recently come to the realization that I am very boring. That's why I don't have many posts on my blog. Nothing exciting really happens to me. It's not like I have people coming up to me telling me that I resemble a famous star of the 80's/early 90's, or have an odd happening at the grocery store, or other amusing instances. It doesn't make matters any better when I don't have anything to do at work. I'm ready for a project.

We did get new neighbors to our left recently. We haven't met them yet, but I heard a dog barking when I was in the back yard this week, and, like any good neighbor would do, I peeked my head over the fence. As fate would have it, they have a basset hound. If you aren't familiar with my love for basset hounds, let me tell you. I really really want to get a basset when we decide to get a dog, but Nick thinks they are ugly. Can I get some backup that these lovable canines are just about the sweetest and cutest things ever? Yeah, I know. Nick has his heart set on a lab. Yes a 90lb dog....super. Don't get me wrong, I think they are beautiful dogs, but they are just so darn huge! Ah, the battle/saga continues along with the naming of our not yet conceived unborn son.

In other breaking news, we are kid/house sitting for a church family starting tomorrow night for a week. Hello to a gourmet kitchen with t.v. so that I may watch Emeril while I make dinner. Hello to a memory foam mattress that is like sleeping on a little slice of heaven. Hello to a big swimming pool. Hello to surround sound and cable t.v. Yes, it will be rough. Especially if you add on the fact that all 3 kids are extremely well behaved and well mannered. However, it should be interesting. It is the first week of school, and two of the three are starting a new school.

I'm sure I will have lots of updates throughout the week. The little one is down right hilarious! He keeps me laughing.

For Julianna: I have begun an afghan pattern out of the Disney Pattern book and it's looking pretty fabulous. I'll keep you updated and let you see the finished product.

So, that's all for now. More to come next week.....

Pictures!

Since it's been a while since I've posted some pictures....

Now for your viewing pleasure:


Me and my Daddy when he came down to visit me last month. I love you Dad!




Nick and I at the southern most point of the U.S. - The infamous trip to Key West! (See two posts ago!)



A great shot to make my parents jealous. :)

Newness

Seems like every so often something changes - sometimes good, other times bad. I have a good change that has manifested itself in my life. I have been blessed with a job promotion. It's pretty exciting. I'm not sure what to do with myself. My boss got back from vacation today, so now the fun can begin.

Now with the good news there has only been a little bit of bad news. I have had to fight with the IT department. It's always a pain trying to get everything set up and access to the appropriate applications. I now have a phone that works, access to a certain file folder that I need, a computer, and printer access. However, I am still waiting patiently for my software. You would think that they would be in somewhat of a hurry to supply people with access to programs that are essential to doing their jobs, but apparently not. It's been over a week. So I called, and they said it would be soon. I said soon as in a couple days, or soon as in a couple of hours?

Anyway, it will come, and things will be fine. I am not too overwhelmed yet, and I think that this is something I am really going to enjoy. God is a giver, and I am thankful. Do you ever feel guilty that you have more than your fair share of blessings? I do. But then again, I'm Lutheran and we are bread to feel guilty! :)

All I can do is try to use wisely what he has given to me. The other day, I decided to define the purpose of my life and this is what I came up with to inspire and motivate my everyday:
"My purpose in life is to learn and implement God's will for me, to be a good steward of the gifts He has given to me, and reflect Christ's love to others around me."

It's like writing down goals. It just feels good. Makes me keep in mind why I'm here.

I is Ghetto

Deep down I always knew it, but a recent happening solidified the notion.

A couple weeks ago Nick and I finally went on vacation - by ourselves - with no family - it was glorious. We have not taken a vacation alone together since we have been married, so it was nice to get away from the hum drum of everyday life.

Destination - The Florida Keys! Wow, that sounds awesome. Certainly we can afford to take a 3 day vacation, right. Of course, my husband is in church work, so money is not an object. To save money, we decided to take along a cooler. It was a grand idea, at first, but became less and less of a great idea as the trip progressed.

So, we packed up the cooler with PB&J, a loaf of bread (our lunch for two days), watermelon, banana bread (for breakfast), butter (for the banana bread), and some water and soda. Yea, we were set, and we were saving money. (Already you can see that the story has a pathetic ring to it!)

So, we iced it down, and drove. Like I said before, this was great the first night. Then we went to pick up two more bags of ice - $3. $3! We are getting no where if we have to spend all this money on ice. Then it occurred to us - the hotel has an ice machine (I'm laughing as I write). What a splendid idea!

Also, we do not find this weird in the least. Our bed and breakfast in Key West had an ice machine right by our car, making fill up rather easy. The problem didn't occur until the last night. We were staying on the 29th floor of the Marriott in downtown Miami.

Nick says to me, "Candace, I need to fill up the cooler, come with me." O.K. "How are you going to get the ice down to the cooler?" "Oh, I've got a plastic Publix sack." (That's right, folks, a plastic grocery sack.) So we trot down to the ice machine and start filling up the sack. It was at that very moment we realized the extent of our frugality and started busting out laughing. We were laughing so hard we almost started crying.

The bad thing was, that we had already committed ourselves to this escapade and must finish our mission. To do this meant going all the way down the elevator and across the lobby - the very big lobby where many people had come to attend a rather large wedding. So, we boarded the elevators along with several other people, of course. I'm trying to block the bag of ice with my body so people won't notice what lunatics we are. Meanwhile the ice is beginning to melt and starts to drip on my leg. By the time we get down to the lobby, there is a little pool of water on the floor. We make it across the lobby with a water drop trail following us every step of the way.

The last thing that set me over the edge is when we finally got to our car and Nick put the ice in the cooler, he turned to me and asked, "Do you want to save the bag?"

We is ghetto.

Alberto how I loath thee....

Yes, you guessed it. It's not even two weeks into official "Hurricane Season" and Alberto is already ringing in the new year. Thanks me amigo. I drove to work in a torrential down pour today, but made it safely to work - for which I am thankful. One thing I have become accustomed to since my relocation to Florida is Hurricanes. Once they were only things to be flipped through on the national news, now they stare at me June - October when I look out my front door.
You know what I love about this increase in hurricane activity? It brings out the wack jobs. Now, I'm not saying we aren't all wack jobs in our own special way, but in this case, I am referring to the ones who's wackiness is exemplified by the extreme weather. To begin my list of favorite hurricane wackos (from now on referred to as "HW's") are the ones who think that the escalated hurricane activity indicates that the world is coming to an end - Armageddon is near! Run around screaming! Frighten small children! Etc. I say that isn't something to be bothered by. If Jesus is coming, I'm ready to be taken home - I'd love to see my brother again as well (today would have been his 22nd birthday - lucky him, it's his 5th birthday with Jesus!). Another favorite HW's are the idiots, whom live on the coast that is predicted to be a direct hit, that voluntarily decide to "ride it out". Why, why do these people challenge/ignore the inherent danger? Ahhhh for many reasons:
-They have lived in the house for 30 years and they aren't going to leave it
-It will be cool - Yea, getting killed by the brute force of nature will be "cool".
-The government can't tell me what I can and can't do. Yes government, why do you insist on looking out for us? That sure is rude of you to try and protect us from our own stupidity. How dare you.
Lastly, in my list of HW are the aftermathers who just can't find enough people to blame. Blame FEMA. Blame the governor. Blame the president. People - hurricanes are no one's fault. We can have nice little plans, but when D-day comes, those nice made plans might not be feasible to the situation. So stop your griping and go help your neighbor!
Well kids, this concludes my ranting and raving over the current hurricane season. Thoughts?

All about Charles..........

First of all you must be thinking.....two posts in one day!!!???!!! I know, I'm full of surprises. But I thought I needed to write about the other man in my life. :)

First of all he goes by Many different names. Some are not appropriate to publish, but here are a few:
Noogs/Noogsy
Woody
My boy
Woonin

You would think that all theses names would confuse the poor fellow, but that's the great thing about animals - as long as you talk to them in that high-pitched pet talk, they will answer to just about anything. It's a proven fact, I've had pets my whole life, and I've never called them by their "given" name. They still come when you call them, though.

He is certainly something else, pets are just too fun. Everyone should have one for entertainment purposes. Here are some of his quirks.....
*He's a food slinger. I don't understand how something that small can make such a mess with dried food! Here's how it all plays out. I put the food in his bowl and he stares at me........like I'm going to give him something else. Hello, you've been getting the same food for the past 623 days. Don't look so shocked! Seriously. Then he proceeds to eat his food. After he begins chowing down, he starts purring and realizes how much he really does like the food. So he eats, and shakes his head. This causes bits of food to scatter across the floor, on the wall by his bowl, and in his water dish dirtying up his water. I've never seen anything quite like it. The wall behind his bowl looks like abstract art. Which gets me thinking - maybe I can just start hanging pieces of paper back there and sell the "art" on E-bay making millions. Hey, they did it with monkeys and elephants, why not a domestic tabby cat?
*He is not a lap cat, but is very affectionate....go figure. He would not stay in your lap if his life depended on it, but he will let you pet him all day long.
*He seems to be frightened of beds. If you try to put him on one, he immediately jumps off and runs out of the room. He's nuts.
*He can sit in the middle of an ant hill and not get eaten alive. This, to me, has to be the eighth wonder of the world. Cats must be immune to ants. I never knew that, did you?
*He knows just how to piss off Nick (this is the most entertaining thing of all)! Have you ever seen a grown man yell at a cat? It's pretty hilarious.

I could go on and on, but I suppose you have better things to do with your day than read about my weird cat. Hope it gave you a few chuckles, anyway. If it didn't and you are a visual person, feel free to drop by our house anytime for free amusement!

VBS Update, and Insights from Life's Friction

Things are beginning to wind down on the VBS front! Yea! I am so proud of my husband. Only the Lord knows how he made it through. He has certainly been equipped with amazing talents (though he would never admit it or take any credit).

Looking around at the people in my life leads me to think of a conversation I had with my sister yesterday. She said, "People are different, Candace." and I said, "Yes they are, Courtney, and there's The God who made us and loves us all just the same." Each person that I know and love has been made very different and unique. I am very thankful for that....most of the time :). Nick and I, as you all know, are very different, but I tell you, God certainly knew what he was doing when he brought us together. He knows how to calm me down (after he has pressed all my buttons!)and he always gives me something to think about. He is the greatest listener anyone could hope to find, which is great for a talker such as myself.

You know, it's life's friction that helps us to grow. That darn "pruning" can be painful, though, but, in the end, I want to yield good fruit, so I better roll with the punches, right?

O.K. Enough of the deep thinking stuff.....Peety (I named the parrot from two entries ago) is no where to be found. He has either found another back yard to perch in, or he is now in that big margaritaville in the sky. Either way, all the best to you Peety, all the best.....

Down with VBS!

That's right, you heard me. This is absolutely the worst week out of the year, and I'm not even directly involved! Yeah yeah, it's great for the kids...blah blah blah, but I do not like what it does to my husband. He gets this crazed look in his eye, and is extremely irritable. I try to be understanding......really I do, but I can only take so much. I see where he is coming from. He is working 80 hours this week, and when it's all said and done, 12 days in a row - a feat that few are able to push through. I admire him for his sticktuidiveness (sp?).
So any prayers this week would be greatly appreciated. 1 1/2 days down, 4 1/2 more to go. Sunday afternoon, the peasants will be rejoicing and Candace and Nick will be on the beach recovering from the effects of all that encompasses VBS.

Yeah, I know........

I have been extremely bad about posting. This is of no fault of my own, however. I have been uber busy with everything that I call life. Happenings since you last heard from me:
*Went to KC for Abby's college graduation (sister-in-law). It was awesome and she was recognized with a Service Before Other's award. It was great to see all of the inlaws!
*I applied for a promotion at work. It's in the same department, but mgmt. level and salaried instead of hourly, and I hope to find out sometime this week if I get the job.
*Nick went to Haiti on a mission trip and had an amazing experience. I was upset because I was unable to contact him the entire 8 days he was gone. You can bet that I was super happy that he came back home safely to me. I am glad that he had a great time and am excited to see how God uses this experience.
*I got new glasses. Julianna calls them "Indi-urban" chic. I asked her if they made her want to rush up to me to have an intellectually stimulating conversation! :)
*While Nick was gone, I got more dinner invites than the president! It was extremely nice for people to think of me, but I was feeling quite bloated after about the 3rd dinner out. I am thankful to have such a supportive congregation.
*Had a super-fun time with my good pal Julianna last Friday night. We went out to eat, I got some new crochet patterns and raided J's yarn stash, and battled one of the most terrible dogs I have ever laid eyes on. You certainly earned your paycheck on that one!
*Started my summer classes - Financial and Marketing Management. Yeehaw. I don't think that either on of them will be too hard conceptually, but the work load is going to be larger than usual.

In other breaking news, we have a parrot in our back yard. That's right, a parrot! I saw this lime green streak fly out from the bushes and across the back yard. Now, Florida is tropical, but not that tropical! We think it is someone's pet that escaped (possibly accidently on purpose), because we were able to get pretty close to it. I found myself trying to catch it, but thought "what the heck would I do with it once I caught it".

That's about all for now. This isn't that difficult when your life is not extremely exciting! I will try to keep you posted more than once a month, but no promises!....:)

Thoughts on Swimsuit Season

Well, it's that time again already (at least in Florida)- the dreaded swimsuit season. Donn donn DONN! For skinny 16 year olds with perfect bodies, this is not such a big deal. For the other 99% of us, it is. I read somewhere that most women would rather go to the dentist that shop for a swimsuit. I would agree with that.
So, last weekend I took the plung and went shopping. Mind you, I am not a shopper. I don't enjoy it. It's not something I choose to do on the weekends. In fact, I only do "serious" shopping about once a year. For most females, shopping is a way to have fun and relax, and for some an essential part of their being. For Candace, it is a stressful, nerve-wracking experience. Everything I like is too expensive, doesn't fit, or is not in my size. How do people do this ALL the time - for ENJOYMENT?!
(I went to try to find an Easter dress as well as a SS. I found nothing worth anything under $60.00, and I'm not spending $60.00 on a dress. Yeah, I'm cheap...I know.)
Anyway, back to the swimsuits. So I trompped around the mall for 2 hours to no avail. Did you know that people sell SS for $50.00/piece?!! $100.00 for two tiny pieces of material? I don't think so. The material isn't even worth that, and you know it probably wasn't "made in the USA", as most all manufacturing/textile production is now outsourced across the big pond. How? Why? I'm became more disgruntled as time went on and with every store I entered.
With no luck at the mall, I head to good old Target - The one store that I don't completely loath shopping at. (Hind-site, I should have gone there to begin with).
I walk in, and they have a great selection with reasonable prices. I actually find 3 suites (7 pieces in all for different sizes) plus two shirts and a skirt to try on. So I walk to the dressing room where the girl (the 16 yr. old with the perfect SS body) informs me that I can only take 6 pieces into the dressing room. So what? Try on the tops and then come back for the bottoms and try to envision what they would look like together? (I didn't say this out loud, but I was thinking it.) So I take a couple of the suites, try them on, put my clothes back on, trade out for the other pieces, go back in the dressing room, try on round two, and dress again. I consider myself and efficient person and like to do things as expidiciously as possible - you can imagine how annoyed I was.
This story does have a happy ending, though. I did find a SS that I actually like, and that fits me, and I will be set to go for another 2 years, hopefully.
Now I just have to work on tanning my albino body.........