Attack of the Killer Bee

Today we had another "work day", and this time we had help! Kevin, Mary, and Pete came to help us. Pete fixed our lawnmower (yay!) and Kevin and Mary helped us tear out the sheetrock in our dining room. Very wonderful! It was pretty messy, but now it's all down from the entire dining room. Scott and I even got the insulation started after the others left.

So, you're probably wondering - where does the title of my blog come into this picture? Well, I made some very yummy pizzas for lunch to thank everyone for helping us. Since the dining room in not exactly usable right now, we sat outside on our camp chairs, lawnmower, and cooler to eat lunch. We were all enjoying our food and drink while trying to ignore the whining puppy, when a bee started flying around us. It started near Pete, buzzing around his head and even flying into the pocket of his shirt!

Just as we thought it was leaving Pete alone, it came back and started flying around Scott. It quickly left Scott and then came over to me. It started buzzing around my hair, and I tried to stay still and not freak out. Then, it flew to the other side of my head and stung me in the ear!!! I jumped up and ran inside to examine my injury and escape the bee. Mary soon followed, as she did not want to get stung. The guys then tried to kill the darn thing, but they couldn't get it. Mia even participated by barking while Kevin swung his hands around trying to kill it.

Meanwhile, I was checking out my ear, which was now turning red and swollen and also hurting quite badly. I applied some ice and finished my lunch. Once things settled down outside, Mary and I made our way back outside to have a little more to eat and enjoy the fresh air. I moved my chair over next to the dogs so that they didn't have to be lonely, and about 2 seconds later, the bee came back near me! I then jumped up and went inside for good.

We really don't know what was wrong with that bee. We did nothing to antagonize it, but yet it felt the need to attack us - especially me! I don't know what it is, but bugs and bees seem to be attracted to me. Thankfully, I survived the attack of the killer bee.

Renovation

Yesterday was Labor Day, and Scott and I took that seriously. We started on a project that has been long overdue. We bought this home almost 4 years ago. At that time, we did a lot of renovations that we much needed. However, one thing we were unable to do (due to running out of time and money) was the dining room and living room walls. We discovered, after buying the home, that the walls were covered in about 5-7 layers of wallpaper, with dark blue or dark green paint over it. Ugh!

So, finally (thanks to my earnings with my business), we have the money to do this HUGE project. Yesterday we began by ripping out all the trim in the dining room and starting on tearing down the sheetrock. It is not a super-easy task but I already know it's going to be well worth it. Once we have the sheetrock ripped out, we'll have to put up new sheetrock, mud, tape, and finally paint. Then new trim will need to go up as well. Finally, after painting, we will put down new flooring - Laminate most likely. Yay!

The hardest part of all this is figuring out what to do with the furniture while we work on it. Currently we've got the buffet table in the kitchen, the desk and bookcase in the living room, and the table and china cabinet in the middle of the floor in the dining room. After the dining room is done, we'll have to figure out where to put the couch, futon, entertainment stand, and everything else that's in the living room. Hmmmmm....

Well I'm sure I'll post some photos at some point - hopefully we'll be finishing this project sometime in September. This is truly my birthday present from Scott - cause he really isn't into it too much. But he's doing it for me!

Favorite Pasttime

Today I participated in one of my favorite pasttimes: whitewater rafting! It has been a while since I've gone, and it was so great to be back out on the river! I grew up in a family that was very "outdoorsy" - camping, hiking, biking, and yes, rafting. We would do these things whenever we had a chance - to me it seems like it was every weekend of summer, but I know in reality it wasn't. It's just that those memories are some of the best of my childhood.

My dad became a whitewater rafting guide when I was probably 10 or 11, and then he got his own raft. That meant we could go rafting anytime we wanted, which is much better than paying $100 a person to go. So when my father passed away, our friend Tim bought the raft from us. Tim had gone rafting with Dad a few times, and it became one of his favorite things to do as well. Now, Tim takes us rafting anytime even though it's been over 10 years since Dad passed away.

So today, Scott and I drove up to the bridge at The Forks, where we always meet before rafting. It turned out that the other couple Tim was bringing couldn't make it, and I didn't realize that he had room for us to bring 2 friends, so it ended up just being Scott, me, Tim, Michael (Tim's son), and John (Michael's friend). That was fine though, and once I was out on the river I was reminded of how great rafting is! It's not so much the waves and getting wet and everything, but just being out in God's beautiful creation! It's so freeing to just ride the current of the river and not have to think about anything else...

So, it was a good day and I am thankful for it.

Waiting Games

Last night, Scott and I decided to enjoy our newfound freedom (i.e. having Friday nights off together) by going out to eat and to a movie. We hadn't had a "date night" in a while, and I was looking forward to it. We left the house around 5:40pm to head to our favorite restaurant, the Texas Roadhouse. Well, I decided to call ahead in case there was a wait. There was. A 50-60 minute wait. So we got our name on the list, and then arrived there about 10-15 minutes later.

Once we arrived, we checked in and asked how long the wait would be at that point. They told us about 40 minutes. So, we said we'd be back - we were just going to go to the stores in the plaza. We were back within 25 minutes, and then we sat down to wait. We waited, and we waited, and we waited some more. Many tables were called - 5 people, 2 people, 4 people, 7 people. I started getting a little annoyed when it had far exceeded the 60 minutes we were originally told. I thought, what's the point of calling ahead? You don't get in any faster. Finally, after the numbers had gone past ours by quite a bit, I told Scott I was going up to find out what was going on.

Well, I went up and managed to get by the throng of people standing directly in front of the counter, and asked where we were at on the list. That's when they told us - our number had already been called - several times. I asked how long ago it was called - she said 25 or 30 minutes ago! I was so perplexed because we had been told 40 minutes and we were only gone for 25, so they must have called us during the 25 minutes that we were gone. I wish that they would tell you "20-40 minutes" if it's going to be WAY less than 40! Urgh.

Anyway, they acted like it was our fault, which is why I was annoyed. But, they did give us the next available table, which is the only reason I did not walk out of there. I love the restaurant - the food is delicious and the service is usually good. I'd just have to say that they need to get a little more organized about their call ahead and waiting list because it's frustrating to be told one thing and to have an entirely different thing happen...

Oh, and by the way, because of that little fiasco, we missed our movie and ended up just going home.

New Job

I have a new job which I started last week. It's for an agency here in Bangor (FACT), and I am a "Family Advocate" - a fancy word for foster care case manager. I am working part time now, which is so great. So far the job has been good - no major surprises. Basically I've been reading policies, info about the clients I'll be working with, and touching base with the foster parents. I'm fortunate that the foster parents I'm working with are very experienced, and therefore it will make my job even easier. I know it won't be a bed of roses, but even the fact that I'm only working 20 hours makes it incredibly better!

I am now able to have more of a routine, and spend more time with Scott. I'm looking forward to having Friday nights and Saturdays together. It's gonna be so weird, but good! This new job also gives me more time in the evening. Take today for example: I left work at 4:30pm, went to the gym to work out, did groceries, and got home by 6pm! I was able to have dinner, do some work on my business for a couple hours, and still have time to relax after that. Woohoo!

Well, as you can tell, I am pretty happy with this whole thing. I have to say though, it's all God. I truly believe that God has played a part in several changes that have taken place in my life over the past months. I thank Him for leading me into each area of my life and I hope that I can honor Him with everything that I do.

Atlanta

Well Scott and I recently returned from Atlanta, GA. We were there from Wednesday through Sunday for a convention with my business. We had a fabulous time! It was quite crazy getting there, with delays starting in Portland and then having to wait for Mom and Paul's luggage in Atlanta. It didn't come until the next day...

Anyway, I had really wanted to go to the Georgia Aquarium, but with getting in late on Wednesday and the next few days being packed from start to finish, we had no time! I have decided something - next year when we go to Salt Lake City, we'll be adding a few days on to the trip so that we can enjoy the local scenery and activities.

As for the rest of the trip, I had tons of fun. I finally got to meet Kindel, one of my support team members from Oregon. It's funny how you can get to know someone so well just over the phone -but it was lots of fun to meet her in person as well. I think my favorite part of the trip was just seeing how full of integrity this company is and how glad I am to be a part of it. It has allowed me to quit my full-time job and go to part time - which is something I've worked towards for 4 and 1/2 years with another company and not been able to accomplish. In addition, it has been great to help other people improve their own physical and/or financial wellness.

I could go on and on, but I won't. I am so glad we were able to go, and I am so thankful for Steve and Jess who watched Mia for us! They took care of her for us and almost didn't give her back! Moxie went to the kennel again and that cost a pretty penny, but at least he was able to play with other dogs, etc.

I think we're done traveling so much, at least for the rest of the year. No more major trips - perhaps just a camping trip on Labor Day weekend, but nothing out of state...

Freedom

I have been told recently that I don't post on my blog enough, so I'm going to try to do a better job. So here's my update:

I am FREE!!! I am no longer working full time - my last day was Friday. I am so excited! And God is good, because last week I got the call that I got the new job I wanted! It's part-time, foster care case management, and the schedule is flexible. Basically it means that I no longer have to work nights or weekends, plus I have an extra 20 hours a week to spend with Scottie and/or doing my business and youth group stuff. Woohoo!

So, in celebration, Scott and I went to Acadia National Park on Saturday along with Steve and Jess. Here's a couple pics from that trip:

Headaches

I have been having headaches lately, and they are very painful. I've seen my doctor on and off about this, as no tylenol, ibuprofen, or even prescription stuff seems to touch these headaches. I actually started to get one yesterday, had a difficult night's sleep, and when I woke up I was nauseous. I tried to go to work but felt as though I would throw up as soon as I got into the car. Urgh! I hate feeling this way. I don't want to miss work over a headache, but when the only thing I can do without throwing up is lay completely still on the couch, I don't really have a choice.

Anyway, as I said, I've seen my doctor about this and we finally decided that I'm going to have an MRI to make sure it's nothing serious. So next Monday I get to go into a giant magnet. So if you think of it, you can pray for me... currently I'd just like to be not in constant pain. And I'd like to find out that this is nothing serious, but also I'd like to know what is causing them.

Moxie

We have had Moxie now for quite a while. He is a handful, but super-cute and lovable! Here are some fun pics of our new little bundle of spunkiness:

Change

This is a time for change. I have been thinking about working part-time for quite a while. There are lots of reasons - being able to spend more time with youth group kids, have more time to do my business, more evenings with Scott, etc. While I have enjoyed my full-time job quite a bit, and I've learned a lot too, I have finally made the decision. I gave my notice on Friday. I will be getting done there at the beginning of August. I don't exactly have another job lined up yet, but I've got some potentials. And I'm trusting God that He will provide exactly what we need. Thankfully, I've been able to earn quite a bit with my home-based business, and that has been the catalyst for this decision. So, who knows what will be next? I'm excited to find out...

One adventure ends, a new one begins

Scott and I went to Pennsylvania this past weekend to visit my sister and her husband. It was great fun. We left Friday afternoon around 5pm and arrived at about 5am at their apartment. It was a long night, and Scott did most of the driving. We were so glad when we finally arrived. We only had one slight detour at the very end of the trip, but it worked out fine.

We had a fun time with Rich and Naomi after getting a few hours of sleep. We played Settlers of Catan because we all enjoy that game a lot. After Mom and Paul finally arrived, we hung out, went food shopping, and then had dinner. We then rented "Night at the Museum." I was so tired that I ended up falling asleep at the end, but it was a good movie. I watched the end of it the next day. Anyway, Sunday was spent at their church, followed by a great lunch at a Chinese buffet. After returning to their apartment, we had fun swimming at the pool in their apartment complex.

Later that night, we played another round of Settlers, but a little while into it, the power went out due to thunderstorms. So we continued to play in the candlelight. Finally we all hit the hay after a full day and fell soundly asleep.

Monday morning we slept in and then hung out for a while. Mom and Paul headed back to Maine around 10:30 or so. Scott and I left around 11:15 for Kev and Amy's. It was not too long of a drive to their place, and we arrived at noon. We went to eat lunch at my favorite pizza place, Bertucci's. Then we just hung out in the afternoon, Amy and I looking at photos and catching up on life, and Scott and Kev going to a guitar store. Later we hung out with all the other couples in the complex for a Memorial Day BBQ. It was fun to have this time with them and all their friends. It was especially fun to watch Kaden who is such a big boy now! And soon he's going to have a baby sister (at least I'm hoping for a girl... we'll find out soon enough).

Scott and I left Kev and Ame's at around 7pm and we headed to Connecticut. We decided to break up the trip home so it wasn't too long of a drive. We arrived at our hotel around 11pm, which was perfect. It was not the greatest hotel, but it was just one night. We left the next morning at 8am and headed back to Maine. Once in Maine, our next adventure began...

We picked up our new little puppy, Moxie! He is so sweet... a bit whiney right now, but I'm sure he'll get over that. Mia doesn't know what to do - she's jealous and excited all at once. I hope that they get adjusted soon enough. Kira, our cat, is NOT impressed. Her saving grace is that she has access to the upstairs and the basement, so she can escape to those areas. We'll see how it goes. I'm sure I'll have some updates soon about how things are going!

Am I Crazy?

You might think so. I've been told I am for wanting one of these.













But who can blame me? They are soooo cute! But really, that's not the reason I want one. The reason is because my dog needs a friend! She is so fun and full of energy, and I really want her to have a playmate. I think she would have so much fun and I know the new puppy would too. So anyway, after much discussion, I think we're gonna be getting one. This one, in fact.

Isn't he a sweetie?












Lastly, I just have to show off a cool photo that I took sort of by accident. It's my friend's daughter holding the puppy I have picked out...

Looooooooong Week

I don't know why, but this week has felt really long. I just feel exhausted, yet I don't want to go to bed yet. I'm just enjoying some tv and computer time. I'm also trying to keep Mia company since I was gone most of the day today and Scott's gone this weekend.

Well anyway, I am excited for April to be over. April has always been a weird month for me. I'm not particularly superstitious, but it seems a lot of bad things happen in April. For starters, it was the month in which my dad passed away. And then it just seems that other negative things happen during this month every year. So now I'm excited that we're almost to May! May is a good month, full of spring weather and flowers and sunshine. I'm looking forward to what May has to bring.

Currently, though, I'm looking forward to what my head will feel like on my pillow. Yay!

Learning to Slow Down

Sometimes God teaches us lessons that we don't want to learn. One of my recurring lessons is my need to slow down. And it seems that right now is one of those times. And the way God is teaching me this lesson is through sickness. Apparently I have a sinus infection, along with no energy, extreme sore throat, and overall ickiness. So now, I am being forced to slow down and not do all the things I need to be doing. I didn't go to work today - went to the doctor's office instead, then back home to rest. And I realize some people love having a day off from work, but honestly I would love to be back to work if I could just feel better.

Well I guess that's all for today. I'm just trying to figure out how to apply this "slowing down" lesson to my everyday life... when I start feeling better, I still want to take time to enjoy life and family and friends.

Weekend

We spent this past weekend in Boston for a youth group leaders conference. All went well, except that I apparently came down with something on Friday and it hasn't left me yet. I haven't been sick in quite some time, so having the headaches last week and then this cough/throat thing this week is not very fun. I am just praying that this will be short-lived and not last all week.

So, if you think of it, pray for me... And to youth group kids, sorry I've been MIA two weeks in a row. I really wanted to be there tonight!

Oh, and I'll be posting more about Boston sometime soon. I've got a GREAT video that I want to post. It's so funny!

Amy's Research Questions

Well a few weeks ago, my dear friend Amy posted a blog requesting that people respond to the following questions. I am finally getting around to doing it. Sorry for the delay, Ame!

How long have you been married?
Almost 5 years! Technically 4 years and 9 months.
How long did you and your spouse really know each other before you married?
We dated for 4 and 1/2 years before we got married. We were friends for almost a year before we started dating.
Looking back, how prepared do you feel you were for marriage?
I would say we were somewhat prepared. We knew each other quite well, and we had done some pre-marital counseling. There was, however, quite a lot of adjusting to do once we were married.
If you have kids, how long did you wait before starting your family?
N/A.
How many children do you have and what are their ages?
N/A.
What challenges have you faced at this stage in your marriage?
We have faced several challenges - 1. Adjusting to being married and sharing a home together, 2. Buying our first home and renovating - can create stress :), 3. Dealing with job changes and learning to balance our marriage vs. our work, 4. Deciding what to do regarding further education, and 5. The societal and family pressures regarding having vs. not having kids and trying to make the decision based on our own thoughts and feelings, not those around us.
If you have kids, has your relationship changed since you've added them to your family?
N/A.
If so, in what way(s)?
N/A.
What resources or support systems do you have that benefit your marriage?
1. Our families - both my family and Scott's family are very supportive of our marriage and I feel that we are very blessed that way.
2. Our friends - having several friends who have strong marriages encourages us and gives us someone to turn to for advice/support.
3. Our church - they are beginning to implement more marriage related studies and programs which I feel is very beneficial. We haven't been able to participate in any of them yet, but just the fact that it is happening is encouraging.
What advice do you have for young couples contemplating marriage and starting a family?
1. Get premarital counseling - I think this is a key that really needs to happen before people jump into marriage. You can be as in love as you can imagine, and the marriage could still fall apart if you don't have the right tools and skills to keep your marriage alive. I believe that looking at where each person came from is important, including your views on marriage in general, gender roles, household responsibilities, sex, etc, in order to better prepare for your own marriage. That doesn't mean you have to agree on everything, but just being aware of where your future spouse stands on these issues can eliminate a lot of heartache.
2. Recognize that you are God's gift to each other - This point hit home at a marriage conference Scott and I went to last year. I recognized that there were lots of times that I ignored this fact and treated Scott as my enemy instead of God's gift to me. When you view your spouse as a gift from God, it changes how you speak to them and treat them. Still working on this one myself...
3. Don't be afraid to ask for help! Many people think that going to a marriage retreat or conference (which Scott and I do every year) means that your marriage is falling apart. NO! It's kind of like a car - if you never get a tune up, you are bound to have some major problems. But if you do tune ups every once in a while, the problems will still come, but you'll be more prepared and they won't be nearly as expensive! It's the same with marriage - when you take time to specifically focus on your marriage, you and your spouse will be so much more ready to deal with the inevitable problems that arise. Along with that, I feel that going to marriage counseling or even just talking with close friends about issues is not a bad thing - God created us to live in community and to share our strengths and experiences with each other.

AND THE BIGGY......
What is/are the biggest need(s) that you have as a husband/wife at this stage in your marriage?
The biggest need I would say that I have right now is just to be loved and supported (which Scott does wonderfully!). As we are currently deciding about me getting my Master's degree, I appreciate that Scott takes the time to really talk about this with me and pray about it too. He doesn't immediately shoot down my ideas, even when they may be a bit crazy. He loves me and supports me in all of my ventures. And that makes it easier for me to accept feedback from him about these types of decisions. Being an independent person, I know that I sometimes do not have the most submissive nature. However, I do desire to respect Scott and value his perspective immensely.

Do you feel there is a need for this kind of ministry in your church, and if so, would you attend such a ministry program - either as a mentor couple or as a couple who would like to be mentored?
Yes, there is a need for this type of ministry in every church. Thankfully, our church has started a few different things for marriages. One is an Alpha Marriage Course that is 8 weeks long and is for couples at any stage in their marriage. The other is that we have Bible Studies on Sunday evenings and there are a few studies being offered throughout the year that focus on marriage. I would like to see possibly a marriage retreat or weekend that our church hosts or sponsors, since there are currently those types of options for men or women, but not married couples.

Well, Amy, I hope this helps! Sorry for my delay, but I finally did it.

Recovery Day

After a long week and lots going on, I decided to take a "recovery day". I ended up not going to work partly because I was just exhausted and partly because of the crazy snowstorm this morning. So instead I slept in later than usual, then spent most of the day completely relaxing. Scott and I read together, I sat on the couch and watched tv, and more along those lines... we did actually clean up the kitchen was great, and we had a real meal for dinner!

Well anyway, as for other news. I have been accepted to the Master of Arts in International Development Program at Eastern University. If I choose to participate in this program, I would go to South Africa in July for 3 weeks, and then the rest of the year will be correspondence. Then I would go again next summer as well, followed by another year of correspondence. I am really undecided about this, but God answered one of my prayers. I spoke with my contact at Eastern and got something cleared up. I had thought that the complete payment was due by March 15th, but it was only a deposit. The payment is not due until April 15th, which gives me more time to decide. Plus, I found out I was awared a pretty significant scholarship to go towards the tuition. Scott and I are having our taxes done on Tuesday, so then I can fill out the FASFA and find out what other aid I am eligible for.

Otherwise I just had a long week with work because there are a lot of staff issues going on. Plus I'm currently doing 2 businesses from home, so between everything I was just needing a day to myself. It was really nice to have that today, as I know this next week promises to be just as busy. I hope to keep everything in balance and to keep my priorities straight.

Mia in the Snow

My crazy dog - isn't she amazing? She was jumping up in the air to catch a snowball thrown by Scott. This was a fun day a few weeks ago when we went for walk out behind our home.

Fun and Games

We returned this afternoon from Winter Retreat with our cool youth group kids. The weekend went much differently than originally planned, given the huge snowstorm on Friday. We spent the night at the church instead of at the camp we were headed to. But all went well, and we made some fun memories.

One of my favorite parts of these trips is the games we play. On Friday night, I attempted to teach a group to play Settlers of Catan. This game was introduced to us by my sister and brother-in-law, and now it's one of my favorites! It's very obscure - you can't find it at Toys'RUs or Walmart... you have to go to specialty game stores or on the internet (Amazon or ebay I'm sure). Anyway, the game does require strategy and patience, but it's great because it's different every time you play it. We got about halfway through... I think I was winning when we got done.

Another great game is Cranium - we played that on Saturday afternoon and evening. I love this one because it's a team effort and everyone is good at different things, so you get to work together. We had great fun and that's where my current quote comes from. I said, "She's had a few bad experiences in the recent future" about one of the players who didn't want to do more acting out during the game... what I meant to say was "in the recent past". That's how tired I was!

After that game, we played Mafia, which is probably the best game ever. You can play it anywhere, anytime, as long as you have at least 6 or 7 people. It's all about killing people and lying about it. But hey, what's youth group without a little killing and lying, right? I didn't get to be the mafia in any of the 3 games we played, so that was a bummer, but it was nice when the doctor saved me!

All that to say, it was a good weekend, and yes, there is life away from TV, cell phones, computers, and busyness... and one of the best parts of that life is games!

Lent

Lent began Wednesday, and it came on way too fast. I had been thinking about what I wanted to do for Lent, but I didn't realize how quickly it would be here. I really wanted to spend some time praying about what I should give up, and I haven't done that. However, I think I know one area that God would like to work on with me, and that is TV. It's definitely become a habit for me to watch tv whenever I want to relax, whenever I'm bored, or whenever I'm doing other things. So my plan for Lent is to cut back on TV. I would like to find better ways to spend my time and see what happens. I often put off my quiet time with God but almost never put off watching TV. So I'd like to see that reversed - not because I want to a better person, but because I want to grow in my relationship with Christ.

Until recently I hadn't ever observed Lent, but I really like the idea of giving something up in order to focus more on Christ. I pray that I learn something during this Lent season.

Posting - This one's for Steve

I've been commanded to post something, so here goes. First off, I would like to say to those of you who actually read my blog, comment! If no one comments, I ususally figure no one is reading, and therefore I have little incentive to post. I know that I should be blogging because I want to, not because other people read it, but I have to say that I enjoy reading the comments and I then am inspired to write other stuff.

I guess my last post was about my car accident, so I'll give you an update. Monday was a crazy horrible day - just seemed like everything that could go wrong did. I had to drive Scott's truck, but I couldn't get the key to open the gas door, so I couldn't get gas. So I had to have someone else take me places.... it was just one of those days!

Anyway, Tuesday was a better day since we were able to purchase a new vehicle... well, new to us. I got a Toyota Rav4, which is the same as I had before, but this one is 2 years newer, black instead of white, and less miles. It was a long day and we had to wait a long time to figure out what the interest rate would be, but finally everything worked out. We purchased it at Crafts' Auto Sales in Lisbon Falls, which I felt was a good dealership. I have enjoyed driving it and it is definitely not as loud as my old one. Plus, it has a CD player and a moon roof - bonus!

Well the rest of the week has had it's ups and downs, but today was fairly good - we found out that since we had GAP insurance on our previous loan, we actually are getting some money towards the new loan since we're financing again with Maine Savings. YAY! So my payments are actually going to be LESS than they were before with the older vehicle - God is good.

Other than this, I am keeping busy with work, home business, youth group, and family. It's all good, though, and I am amazed every day at how blessed I am, even when I am not as grateful or faithful as I should be.

Weekend Fun

Some friends are complaining that I never blog anymore, so I'm going to try and improve on that. For starters, we just returned from a great weekend. We attended a marriage retreat that we usually attend in Camden, Maine. It's put on by a great couple who's been married about 50 years, and they are great!

On Friday we drove down to Camden along with our friends Steve and Jess. We had dinner at a great little restuarant while listening to a live jazz band. I had a cheeseburger the size of my head and so I had to take some to go. We then joined the 1o other couples at the Country Inn for a weekend of learning and fun.

A few highlights of the weekend were swimming in the pool and relaxing in the hot tub, hearing the many insights about marriage from Russ and Lorrie, getting to know the other couples, and of course spending quality time with my own hubby. We had a date night Saturday night and we decided to check out a new restuarant, which was okay, but not great. On Sunday we enjoyed a morning of praise and worship led by Steve, which was really nice. We also had sharing time and communion together.

Something a little different this year was some added videos which enhanced our learning and converstations. Russ and Lorrie brough videos by Mark Gungor, who is incredibly funny and extremely passionate about marriage. The videos were awesome and we are planning to buy them for our church and somehow incorporate them into our small group studies or something. I can't wait to see the other videos since we only watched a few.

Well now we are just relaxing at home and enjoying having some down time. And for all you readers of my blog out there... I'll try to post more often!

Long Time...

I haven't blogged in a long time! I just realized that it's been almost a month. So, for my 2 readers, I apologize.

Well Scott and I are sitting here at the table with our laptops, wasting the day away. It finally snowed yesterday - we got about 6 inches I think. So we ended up staying home last night and canceling youth group. I didn't want to be out on the roads, and I didn't want any of the kids out either. Anyway, so today we slept in, had breakfast, and now we're trying to work up the motivation to work on our bathroom. We have trim to put up, and I would love to get it done today.

So anyway, things are good here. 2007 is here and it's already halfway through January! I am continuing to pray that God would show me what He wants for me this year, and what I should be focusing on. I believe God has allowed me to do a lot of things that I enjoy, but I also know that He wants me to keep my focus on Him. So I am asking God to show me how to keep those priorities straight.

Well I guess that's all. That was sort of a disorganized blog, but at least it's something!

The Yankee Swap Escapade

One thing is certain, in a group of 25 people, agreeing on the rules of Yankee Swap is a challenge. Last night we had the annual senior high youth group Christmas party. We all brought our gifts (up to a $6 value) and then we had a nice time reading the Christmas story. When it came time to actually play the game, though, there seemed to be some question about how to actually play. We finally decided, but it definitely was a process. So I just looked up the official rules to the Yankee Swap. It turns out that my version of the Yankee Swap is a combination of the Yankee Swap and a White Elephant. Anyway, I think it's fun however you play it, since everyone goes home with a gift.

By the way, I ended up with a Star Wars figure... yippee...

UPS and New Bedroom Set

Lately I have been frustrated with UPS. I guess I am just really impatient and don't understand why it takes so long for a packaged to get from point A to point B. For example, today I knew I was getting packages delivered, and on the UPS tracking site they listed as being "out for delivery" from the Brewer UPS at 2:35am. Of course, I realize no one gets packages at 4am, but mine didn't get delivered until after we left for youth group, which was about 4:30pm. Hmmmmmm....

In addition, when I got home I thought the packages hadn't come at all. Why, you ask? Well they weren't on my back doorstep or inside the shed where they usually get dropped. So then I started to get really irritated, thinking that they hadn't arrived even though the tracking said they would be. But I checked one more place - the front door. Yup, they were on the front door step. Apparently I must have different delivery guys because they always leave stuff in different places.

Well on a more positive note, we had a huge blessing this past week. We got a beautiful bedroom set given to us, and my hubby and our friend Steve went and picked it up on Tuesday. In addition, Scott and I bought a new mattress set as our Christmas gift to go with the new bedroom set! It was so exciting to actually have furniture that matches and it looks amazing! Plus, it's a queen size set so Scott and I don't have to fight over space on the bed.

Hopefully I'll get some photos up sometime soon! For now, you'll just have to come visit and see it in person (if I know you, that is).

A Good Day

Despite being very busy the past few days, today has been a good day. We got up and went to church this morning. After this, we had lunch with our wonderful friends Steve, Jess, Peter, and Shannon - and Nat, of course. Lunch was so yummy and just a lot of fun to talk and catch up. Then we all headed over to Shamrock Ridge Tree Farm where we all picked out our Christmas trees. How fun! Scott and I opted for a larger tree as usual, while everyone else went for a smaller tree. Then we each loaded up our trees and headed home.

While Scott helped out at Pioneer Clubs tonight, I decided to stay home and relax a bit. I got some cleaning done, laundry, as well as just resting. It's really nice after 4 days of 10-11 hour days at work. Once Scott got home, we put the tree up, although we're waiting to decorate so that we can have a nice, relaxing time.

Well I guess this isn't a real exciting blog. I'm just content tonight to be sitting on my couch, with my sweet doggy curled up next to me, and feeling ready for a new week.

Thankfulness

This week I think God has been causing me to realize just how much I have to be thankful for. And I guess that is what tomorrow is all about - giving thanks to God for what we have. I am just in awe of how much God has given me in my life, and how faithfully He provides.

I feel like this week in particular, God has been directing my steps and my interactions with people. Several examples of "coincidences" which I think are not all that coincidental. I won't go into them all, but I am just so thankful that God sometimes gives us glimpses of how much He cares about the little (and big) things in life.

As I think about all of this, though, I recognize the need I have to be constantly seeking Him for his guidance. With thinking about grad school, career decisions, and just generally how to best make use of the time on earth God has given me, I realize that I can never do this on my own. So lastly, I am thankful that my life truly is in His hands and not my own...

Exhaustion

We have returned from our college trip with the teens. And now I sit here exhausted! My eyes are drooping, my muscles ache, and the thought of my head on pillow is enticing. So that is where I will head very soon!

I just wanted to take a moment to write about our trip. We spent 6 days and 5 nights with 4 students visiting 4 different colleges and universities. It was an extremely fun, educational, and enjoyable trip. We did have a few detours on the way to PA, and then on the way back up to Mass we ran into major traffic, but God kept us so safe! We saw 12 deer total - 9 dead and 3 alive. So we're thankful that we didn't hit any. Plus, with the way people drive in NJ, we're really thankful we're alive!

Well all of the kids seemed to enjoy the trip and they all had the chance to learn about the different options available in this region. We had a rating system for all of our stops, including the colleges. Plus, we videotaped a lot so that hopefully we can go back and remember some of what we saw. That might help the students and their parents get to see what is available to them at the various schools.

Overall, I was inspired as well as grateful during this trip. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to attend Gordon College, which is one of the ones we visited. I absolutely loved my time there and believe that God led me there. I was also inspired to continue to seek God's will for my life, especially when it comes to continuing my own education. I have been praying for some time and am now seriously considering working towards my Masters if that is what God wants.

Also, although we had a lot of teasing about what college is better, etc, I know that God can use a variety of places to shape and mold each person and it doesn't always matter where you are but rather your attitude and pursuit of God while you are there. So my prayer is that each of the students would have gained some insight into the college game and be willing to pursue whatever God leads them to do.

Road Trip

Well we finally arrived at Kevin and Amy's in PA. We drove all day yesterday and it took 11 hours. We had a couple detours - once when Scott was driving (I gave correct directions but he missed the turn) and once when I was driving (he gave wrong directions and I followed them). But other than that, we had good weather and no major traffic jams. During our drive, our teens came up with a great game: Rate the Reststop! At every place we stop during our trip, we are coming up with ratings for the categories of Restrooms, Environment, Food, and Service. It is quite entertaining. So far, I think that Kev and Amy have the highest overall rating.

Anyway, today we visited Kev and Amy's church and it was tons of fun. Then we ate at Bertucci's, which was delicious. I still feel full 4 hours later! Well I have been helping Amy fix her blog so definitely check it out!

Nothing in particular

Well I just got done watching Lost and now I'm sitting here thinking I should blog. The problem is, I can't think of anything interesting to blog about. So I guess I'll just write a little about what's been going on lately.

On Oct. 28th, I held a scrapbooking fundraiser for Tommy. It was a great success, raising $330 for his wheelchair accessible van. That was a lot of fun and I was excited to see how many people came together to support Tommy!

Last week was a horror at work... just seemed like I was grumpy and then everything seemed to go wrong. I'm not sure how much was my own attitude and perspective, and how much of it was really things going wrong. Anyway, Saturday night was a welcome break from all the chaos.

On Tuesday Scott and I got a lot done on Tuesday around the outside of our house. We prepped for winter, putting away junk and trash. Scott mowed most of the lawn and I mulched some over my flower beds. It's nice to see how things look now. There's always more to do, but it looks much better!

Well, on Saturday we leave for the college trip... We're driving to PA with 4 college-bound high school students. It should be tons of fun since it's a small group and colleges are fun. And of course, we're visiting my alma mater. Plus, we get to see our wonderful friends Kev and Amy, and my lovely sister and her husband. Woohoo!

I guess I'm off. Scott is watching "CSI:NY" and it's about paintball, so I think he's really into it.

A Lesson in Humility

Have you ever been told something about yourself that hurt because you knew, deep down inside, it was partly true? That happened to me this week. I was confronted with an issue about my personality that I know is an area of weakness, yet somehow it really bothered me that it was brought up.

I have been obsessing about it ever since. I keep replaying the conversation in my head and wondering if I was being defensive, not wanting to admit that this could be a problem. As much as I know it's an area of weakness, I also do feel that the way it was presented to me was not entirely accurate. After working in my field for over 4 years, this is the first time anyone has ever brought up this issue. So I keep thinking, Perhaps this is an isolated issue from one particular interaction. Or, perhaps this has been an ongoing problem with the way I interact, and no one has ever said something.

Regardless, I have been praying that God will reveal the truth to me. That I won't be too proud to accept the truth and work on it. And that I won't obsess but rather work on my attitude and gentleness with others.

A few more pics of our weekend

Our campsite was huge!














Mia and I on top of Table Rock - tough climb but totally worth it! There was actually one part where there was a huge rock to climb over and there were bars to hold onto. Mia wouldn't jump up over it, so we found a spot for her to crawl through on the other side. It was so cute!














At night, it was very very cold. And since we were sleeping in a lean-to, we let Mia cuddle up between us to stay warm. We also had to cover her with a blanket so that she wouldn't shiver! Doesn't she look sweet?

Fall Retreat

Well Scott and I had our first vacation of the year. 4 days and 3 nights in the Maine woods. The first part of the adventure is that after driving almost 3 hours west to Mt. Blue State Park, we discovered that they were only open one more night for camping. So there we were, in the middle of nowhere, with nowhere to stay. So we pulled out my trusty Maine Gazateer and Atlas, and located another campground.

We drove to Coos Canyon Campground in Byron, Maine. It was beautiful and we got the best campsite with tons of space, a lean-to, and it was right above the river! We had a fabulous time reading, talking, exploring Coos Canyon, hiking into Angel Falls, and touring Grafton Notch State Park.

The final part of the adventure is the most exciting. I'm sure you've heard about the murders that took place a few weeks ago in the Bethel/Newry area of the people in a B&B. So I was already a little weirded out by every strange noise or sound, and if Mia barked I made sure that I paid attention. Well on our last day, I was going to go out to the car to start getting it packed up. Scott stayed back at the campsite getting everything else ready to go. When I got to my car, I noticed an older, bearded man, standing 20 or 30 feet from the car just looking around. He saw me, nodded, and then started walking away. It was then that I noticed he was carrying a guitar and a rifle! Ok, so now I'm freaked out. So I went back to the campsite as quickly as possible and told Scott that I wasn't going back out there by myself. So we went to the car together. On the way back, we heard people yelling stuff like, "Have you found him yet?" I said to Scott, "I bet they're looking for the psycho old guy". And, just as I said it, we arrived back on our campsite and saw the guy walking onto our site. He just wandered over and it was so weird. Scott went over cautiously and asked if he could help him. Apparently he said he's supposed to be shooting a movie with friends but couldn't find them. So Scott told him about the people over on the bridge and he walked that way. Of course, this whole time Mia was barking like crazy at the guy. When he finally left, Scott told Mia to be good. I said, she is being good - she's protecting us from that crazy man!

So anyway, I'm thankful that we didn't freeze to death or that I didn't get shot by some psychopath in the Maine woods...

Old Friends and New

Well I am reflecting on how blessed I am to have amazing, wonderful friends. My friend Jessica came to visit last weekend - she was only here for 1 night and I only saw her for a total of 6 hours, but it was completely wonderful. She was my roommate in college for sophomore and senior years, and we just have a great connection. She spent the past year in China so we hadn't talked in over a year - but when we got together it was like we never spent a day apart! I just love that!
She arrived at my home Friday around 5pm. I showed her my home as she had never seen it, and then we went to the Bangor City Forest for a walk. It was great to just talk and enjoy the beautiful Maine air. Then we went out to eat along with my hubby and had lots of fun laughing and sharing about our lives. Once back at home, I got to see some (not all) of her photos from China. They were so amazing! She spent a big part of her time in some of the larger cities doing language study, but then the rest of the time she traveled around western China seeing some of the much more rural areas of the huge country. It was hard to go to sleep that night because I just wanted to use up every possible minute talking with her, but the fact that I had to work the next morning motivated me to get some sleep. Anyway, it was a blessed time with an old friend.
Then recently I've also connected with my friend Tony. We were friends in high school and sort of lost touch during the college years. Now he's married to Jolie and we have reconnected through myspace - of all things! So they invited us over for dinner Saturday night. It was so much fun! I had never met Jolie before, plus they had two other friends there - Morgan and Jason. It was great to catch up with an old friend - Tony - but also start to develop new friendships with everyone else. We laughed so hard that I started to have trouble breathing (the only time my asthma kicks in is during intense laughter), and we had serious conversations about faith and church and life. And we played Cranium - girls vs. boys, and the girls won - of course!
That's what I've been thinking about today, so I thought I'd share.

Remembering

Yesterday was an important day for a few reasons. One - the most obvious - was that it was the 5 year anniversary of the day our country was attacked by terrorists on 9/11. I remember the day it happened. I was at Gordon in a class upstairs in the chapel. One of my classmates had gone to use the bathroom, and when she came back up, she brought us the news. Our country was under attack. It was a shock to us all. We stayed in class for a little bit, but then most of us were wanting to go call our families and find out what was really going on. We went downstairs and I headed to Lane where I saw people gathered around the televisions. It was then that it hit me - this was big. I decided to head to my room where I could process what was going on. I called my mom and she had not been aware of it. I went to school about 1/2 hour from Boston, which is where some of the planes were hijacked from, so it was close to where I was.

All of this took place on my 21st birthday. It was hard to celebrate on that day - a day of tragedy, sorrow, and death. And now, 5 years later, I will never forget that day. I hope that we always remember how we felt on that day and how we came together for the sake of our neighbors.

Life Is Good

Well I'm sitting on the couch watching TV with my dog curled up at my feet. Yes, she's supposed to sleep only on the futon, but lately we've let her up on the couch when we're up with her. (We're softies...)

Anyway, life is good. I just had a 4 day weekend with my hubby. We got a bunch of stuff done plus had some nice time with each other. It's been a while since we've been able to do that. One of the most exciting things we did this weekend was paint our bedroom and our guest room. We painted our previously dark teal bedroom a light gray-blue and then sponge painted a darker bluish gray over it. It looks so good! I am so excited, because our room is so much brighter and happier to be in now. And, the guest room which used to be sky blue is now a nice sea green-blue color. Plus, both rooms ceilings are now painted white instead of icky half-painted grossness.

So it's been nice, and I am not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. I feel like I need another day off so that I can clean up all the mess we've made with the painting projects... Well I'm signing off for now. I'm going to finish off my weekend with a nice bubble bath.

Profiling and other stuff

I hesitate to express my political views on my blog for some reason. I usually like to just write about my everyday life and the goings on around small town Maine. However, today I am just frustrated about a few things.

Airline travel. Profiling or not. Some photos I just viewed.

A few weeks ago I traveled from NH to MN. As I went through the security checkpoints, I was asked how old I was. (Instead of just being asked for an ID). Apparently I looked under 18??? Then she asked for my ID, as if I looked suspicious and probably had a reason to lie about my age... Then I was asked to take my shoes off even though I was wearing Teva flip flops. I started to do it even though I was thinking, "What are you, an idiot? Can't you see these are flip flops and I'm obviously not storing some C4 under my heels?" As soon as I began removing them, another security guy said, "No, those shoes are okay", and I breathed a sigh of relief that one person actually has some common sense.

So profiling. I am not sure what I think. In a way, it is sort of obvious that the majority of the suicide bombers and hijackers were of Middle Eastern descent. Therefore, it does make sense to me that airport screeners, etc, would pay closer attention to that same group of people when they are going through security. We do this all the time. For example, what comes to mind when I mention pit bulls, rottweilers, or german shepherds? Probably you're thinking that those dogs are dangerous and more likely to bite. As a home owner, I know that my insurance bans these dogs - they won't insure my home if I own one. I know that not all pit bulls, rotties, and shepherds are dangerous. I know that they are not necessarily any more likely to bite than another dog - just that they do more damage when they do bite. However, I also know that I'm probably going to be more on guard around a 140 lb rottie than a 65 lb golden retriever. Why? Because statistics show that rotties do more damage and have a different temperament than retrievers. (By the way, rotties are my favorite dogs).

Ok, so some of you are probably raging at the computer screen right now saying, "Are you comparing anyone of Middle Eastern origin with dangerous dogs?" No, I'm not. What I am saying is that if a certain group of people is known to be doing a particular thing (i.e. teen gang members spraying graffiti or middle age white men looking at child porn), then I think that it make sense to look more closely at that group when you are trying to prevent a crime. I don't think the first person the police will look at in a marijuana bust would be my 75 year old grandmother....

I guess I'm done rambling. Agree? Disagree? Feel free to share your comments...

Re-Connecting

It's interesting how you can go days, even weeks and months, without hearing from certain people in your life - and then boom, all at once, you get reconnected. This just happened today. I opened my email and had about 6 or 7 emails from former LASPers. LASP (Latin American Studies Program) is a program that I did my junior year in college. It was by far the best semester of my college life. I lived in Costa Rica with a Costa Rican (or "Tican") family and studied amongst an amazing group of college students from all sorts of Christian colleges across the country. We laughed, cried, learned, and traveled together. Sometimes we even threw up together (remember that Cuba trip?). I am always thinking of my experiences during those 3 and 1/2 months and how they have molded me into who I am today. Although I had done some short term missions trips before that experience, LASP was truly a turning point in my life. I was challenged to really assess how I live, not just what I believe. And I did so in an incredibly supportive group of men and women who were all wrestling with this same issue.

I love looking back over my photos from this experience. And I love encouraging others to take the opportunity to travel and study abroad, because there's really no way I would've learned all I did sitting in a college class about Latin American culture.

Well, anyway, it's good to reconnect. It's good to remember. I love this verse which summarizes why I believe so much in journaling and photos as a powerful tool: "You will be able to tell wonderful stories to your children and grandchildren about the marvelous things I am doing among the Egyptians to prove that I am the LORD." (Exodus 10:2)

Why Album Making?

I love Creative Memories! Ok, most of you who know me already know this. But it is really true. I went to Showcase (our national convention) last week and it was so amazing. I am realizing just how important creating albums can be for people. Not only to preserve the photos and the stories, but really to heal, encourage, and grow someone.

If you want to know more, check out this movie. I am actually watching Scrapped right now and it is so great. It shows how album making can be something that ANYONE can do, including a motorcycle riding tough guy. Everyone has a story to tell! That's why I love CM's new tagline: Your Life | Your Story | Your Way.

Anyway, there's my rant for the day. Do you have photos? How much do they mean to you? Think about it. Then go to my site or find a consultant near you.

Vacation Adventures

So much has happened in the past week that it feels like I've been gone a year. I have had an incredible week full of fun, challenges, being stretched, learning, laughing, crying, and loving. To start, our trip to Soulfest was great. We knew it was a true youth group trip when we had not 1 but 2 tires blow out on the way there. Then when we did arrive at SoulFest (7 and 1/2 hours later), no one seemed to know where to send us. We finally made it to our campsites - on the side of a ski slope. It took some time to set up all the tents on the flattest area we could find, and even then I think most of us slid down in our tents every night.

Anyway, it was a blast going to the concerts, having meals at the campsite, hanging out with all the teens, and going to a women's conference there. I really enjoyed Constance Rhodes who runs Finding Balance. She was a great speaker and challenged me in many areas. Specifically she talked about how we as women are constantly comparing ourselves to each other and the reason is that we are focused on ourselves. I was challenged to remember that it's not about me and that when we take our focus off ourselves and put it onto God, that is when he makes us truly successful.

As for the concerts, I'd have to say that Newsboys were my fave. I've seen them several times before but there was something about this concert that hit me. Peter Furler was open, honest, and talked about having a true hunger for God's word. He said that for a long time, he didn't really have a hunger and found it a struggle to read the Bible. So he began to pray about it, and that is when God's word came alive to him. I realized that I have been in a place of complacency, where I do read God's word but I don't hunger for it. So I am praying that God will put in my heart a desire to know his word and meditate on it.

On Saturday I had to leave all the fun of Soulfest to head to Minneapolis for the Creative Memories Showcase. As sad as I was to leave the group, I was very excited to attend Showcase and learn all that I did. Once I arrived I found that our hotel was not exactly in the best part of town and we had a tight squeeze with 6 people in our suite. There was only 1 double bed - everyone else had to sleep on the floor, a sofa bed (which felt like sleeping directly on springs), or a cot. Thankfully, my roomies were gracious and allowed me to sleep on the bed since I'd been camping the previous 4 days. Praise God!

At Showcase, we had the privilege of hearing Dewitt Jones speak and share his photography. He was amazing - not only the photos but his story as well. I enjoyed it immensely and of course did some crying as well. I also had fun shopping at MarketPlace, which is full of CM goodies and gifts that you can't find anywhere else! I'll use them for my hosts, downline, and customers (and myself of course). We also had lots of training, saw all kinds of new products, heard from consultants on the mainstage, and had a great time dancing on the stage after the closing session. Yes, we stayed there until about 11:30 (it ended at 10:30) dancing and having fun. Then we headed back to our hotel (again, in the not so great part of town) and finally got to sleep around 1am. Then I was up at 4am to head to the airport for my 6am flight. I arrived in Manchester aound noon and finally got home around 5pm. I'm happy to be home even though I didn't want all the adventures to end. Sometimes it's nice to sleep in your own bed... where I'm headed now.

Blogging Hiatus

I want to apologize in advance that I will be out of the blogosphere starting Wednesday for a full week. That is, unless I manage to find internet access at a music festival in NH or at the CM Showcase in MN. We shall see...

As for an update around here, I am currently sitting in my living room watching my dog play with a yogurt cup. I should probably take it away from her, seeing how she is now actually eating the plastic. The other things I need to do are: pack for 2 separate events that I am going to one right after the other, pay bills for the next week since we'll be gone, do lots of laundry so that we can pack, prepare for Monday night youth group, and lots of other stuff that I'm not thinking of. I guess I should go and start perhaps getting ready for all the fun!

Funniest Thing Ever

Today I saw one of the funniest things ever. Perhaps it won't be funny to you, but it was to me. Scott and I decided to head down to the coast today due to it being beautiful, sunny, and one of the only days that we have had or will have together in a while. So we went to Acadia National Park and decided to go to a place we hadn't been - at least not together. We went to Seawall down in Southwest Harbor. It was BEAUTIFUL! It was the perfect spot - not too many people, plenty of rocks to explore and sit on, and tons of ocean to see and listen to. I could stay there for hours.

Anyway, back to the funny thing. We, of course, had our dog Mia with us. She's a cutie and always loves to go on road trips. This morning when we said, "You wanna go for a ride", she began running around the house like crazy, then banging into the back door window, indicating that yes, in fact, she did want to go for ride. So once down at Seawall we had lunch while sitting on the rocks. They were so beautifully smoothed by years of the pounding ocean. After lunch, we walked over to a section of rocks that juts out into the ocean, and the waves come crashing down onto them. Mia always loves playing in water (although she's learned the difference between fresh and salt water), so she began exploring and checking out the tidal pools. A few moments later, a huge wave came crashing down in front of her. This is the funny part - she ran away like she was scared! She usually plays and makes splashes of her own, but this time she had no control over the splashes. She began running out onto the rocks, only to retreat when the waves would come. Then she began barking loudly at the waves, as if to scare them away. Scott and I could not control our laughter! It was just hilarious!

To try and remember this moment, I gave Scott the camera and asked him to take a few photos of Mia and I near the water. Mia didn't really like this idea - she thought that going up with Scott to higher ground looked better. But I got her to stay with me for a few shots. Here's one where you can actually tell that she is trying to get away from the water!

The My Space Debate Vol. 2

Well, because there was so much to-do about my space a while back, I decided to go ahead and get my own my space site. I figured that would be the best way to determine whether this is a good or bad thing, or just something that is based on how you use it. And, to my surprise, I've learned how addicting it can be. Uh-oh. I discovered, for example, about 5 or 6 friends that I went to high school with, and about 5 or 6 that I was friends with in college. And I know there's more out there! It's actually fun and makes me feel very reminiscent of the "good old days" in high school and college. It's also neat to see where all those people are at in life - married, kids, careers, etc., and how people have or have not changed.

So, as for the good, bad, or neutral issue on my space... I've yet to decide. Although I'm leaning towards the neutral option - I think it's really about how it is used. My Space offers people a chance to connect with new friends or old. It offers a place to express your views and share your thoughts. The danger is in the fact that there are SO MANY people on my space, and there is absolutely no way to know who someone is unless you know them in REAL life (i.e. not just cyber-life). I've yet to have any strange people try and become my friend... but my husband already did and I can see how an insecure, lonely teen could easily be lured into a very bad thing.

Well I guess you could say I'm doing an "invesitigative study" on the issue by becoming a My Space member. While doing so, I'm having fun reconnecting with people. At the same time, I'm recognizing how easily one could spend hours upon hours without even reazling it!

A Day Away

On Tuesday I took a day for myself. It's not often that I do this, and I just felt the need to get away. There are times that I just want to drive, and drive, and drive. So, on Tuesday, I did that. I took Mia with me, but Scott couldn't go because of speaking at Fairhaven this week. We drove down to the coast, to little towns and inlets and stuff. Finally we arrived at our desired location - Blue Hill Falls. It's a set of reversing falls that change with the tides. When we arrived, there were some people kayaking through the falls. We went down to one side of the beach and it started to rain. Shortly after, it stopped raining and the sun came out. I was so thankful, because I was able to find a nice spot to sit, let Mia run around exploring, while I sat, read, and prayed. It was nourishing to my soul and my body. Just sitting in the sun, watching the waves and listening to the ocean sounds. One of the best places on earth to be...

Here's a few shots of the beauty of the day.

This one is funny because Mia is rubbing her head on the barnacles on the rocks. She really liked the smell or the feeling perhaps? What a goofball.


My feet as I was sitting next to the ocean.


Mia sitting beautifully next to the ocean.

Our Latest Adventures

Last Monday Scott and I went and hiked a mountain and explored the wonderful coast of Maine. It was a great time because I love both the mountains and the coast. I could sit for hours just listening to the ocean. We enjoyed the sunny, clear day and the crisp ocean air. Here aresome fun shots of our adventures.

Priorities

How does one determine which priorities are the most important? How does one decide where to spend her time or energy? It seems that every day there are new, more pressing things that must be done, yet still only one me to do them. It seems that there are many people with many expectations and many needs. Yet only one me to handle all that.

It's an ongoing struggle, I know, for most of us. Yet somehow these days it just seems more real than ever. I want to be spending so much time doing each important thing in my life. I want to be the best wife I can be and truly meet my husband's needs. I want to be available for our youth group girls and really focus on them. I want to be a good social worker and supervisor at the group home and help others learn and grow. I want to reach out to new people who want to take care of their photos and share their memories and stories with others. I want to be working in my garden and stopping all the weeds from coming up. I want to jump on my bike and ride away...

Well, there's a piece of me right now.

Discrimination Against Small Feet

I told my friends this story this morning at church and they asked if I had blogged about it yet. Well, here it is. So I went to a local sporting goods store recently and found a pair of the cutest Teva sandals. I just loved them and tried on a pair. They were close to my size, but not quite. See I have small feet (size 6 in women's), and the shoes were a 7. So I looked over the entire rack, only to be disappointed. Then I went to the counter to request a size 6. The clerk told me they don't carry size 6 in the store normally. I found this odd, and mentioned that it sounds like discrimination against small feet. The guy said whenever they carry size 6 or 6 and 1/2, they always sell out so quickly. Which again made me wonder why they don't normally carry those sizes: more sales = more money, right?

Anyway, I was forced to wander away from shopping locally (after searching several other local stores for those exact sandals, only to find the wrong sizes and colors) to shopping online. And after much searching, I found what I was looking for on Amazon.com (click to see the sandals). I ended up getting 2 pair and receiving free shipping.

So tough luck to the local stores who decided that small feet don't deserve the same treatment of cute shoes!

Fun in the Sun!

As the sun peeked through the clouds at the end of the day today, it made me think of all the fun we've had thus far this summer. Here's a few shots of our adventures. Here's a shot of our nephew and our dog, Mia. They are good pals, especially when they get to play together in the water.

Here's me getting ready to go for a kayak ride. NO, Mia, you are not going with me!

Lastly, here's Mia splashing in the water. She likes to try and bite the water, which results in her drinking a huge amount! On this day, she realized that she actually does like swimming. Usually she just wades in the water, but here she finally swam, getting her entire body wet!

Tommy Needs a Van

We have a young man in our youth group, Tommy, who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and is in need of a wheelchair van. Please visit his website to learn more about his needs. Also you can see their blog to learn about their progress in raising money. I really hope and pray that Tommy and his family will be able to get the money they need for this so that Tommy can participate in the normal, everyday activities that he enjoys, such as coming to youth group.

My Sister's Wedding

My little sister got married on Saturday. It was an exhausting weekend, but everything turned out nicely. Here are a few photos from the event. Of course, I was in the wedding so I didn't get to take any of the actual ceremony.

My Fortune

I like Chinese food. It's yummy. Sometimes I buy it. A few weeks ago, I stopped by a new Chinese place on Main St in Bangor. I got what I usually buy - Chicken Chow Mein with Pork Fried Rice and a side of Teryaki Beef. It wasn't the best Chinese food I've had, but it did the trick of curing my immediate hunger pains.

The most interesting part of the meal was the fortune cookie. Now, while I find any "dessert" that doesn't involve chocolate to be proposterous, I still usually eat my fortune cookie. When I opened mine up, I found the most absurb fortune ever: "You love Chinese food." It made me laugh, along with everyone else that was sitting around watching me eat. What kind of fortune is that anyway? You bought the food, so of course you like it! It's not a fortune at all, it's simply a statement of the obvious. I mean, it's not that I put any faith in the "fortunes" in fortune cookies, but come on - it should at least be something that makes me wonder... "You'll meet a true friend today" or "Your truest friend will betray you"... be creative already!

So, to whoever writes those fortune cookies, here are a few suggestions:

• Find a way to incorporate chocolate into Chinese food desserts.
• Don't simply state the obvious in the fortune cookies.
• Or, if you do state the obvious, make it funny. ("You'll be hungry 1 hour from now").

Being Sick

Well, being sick isn't fun. Over the past 2 weeks, I've been sick quite a bit and I am ready to be done. I am feeling better right now, but as I learned Wednesday, just because you feel okay for a few days doesn't mean you're all better. I finally went to the doctor on Thursday because I though something must be up. So apparently I have a sinus infection, which is probably what was causing the major headaches, followed by nasuea and vomiting. Oh, yes, fun fun. So now I'm on an antibiotic and hopefully that'll help. I guess if it doesn't we'll be looking at migraines possibly. Who knows really. I'm looking forward to having full energy again and being able to go out to eat with my hubby as we had planned for our anniversary (4 years!).

I realize that this is an extremely boring post but when you've been sick there's not a lot of exciting things to write about...

Promised Photos

Sea Otters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This is where we spent our last night during the wonderful CM trip to Monterey in May. We had the whole aquarium to ourselves, and we spent the evening seeing all the amazing sea creatures. I have to say that sea otters are my favorite!

The Lone Cypress on the Seventeen Mile Drive. This was such a beautiful spot on the California coast. I was so excited to get to go on the drive with some fellow CM Consultants that I met while in Monterey. This was my favorite part of the trip - I love adventure and couldn't pass up the opportunity to see more of God's amazing creation!

The My Space Debate

So there's this discussion going on between myself, my coworkers, and my friends. It's in regards to blogging, particularly on "myspace". The more and more I see and hear about my space, the more I am concerned about the state of teenagers right now. I definitely think having a place to air your thoughts and feelings is great... the problem is when this becomes someone's primary form of communication. And when the communication is also full of inapporpriate, sometimes pornographic photos.

Here's a conversation I had with one of the kids at the group home where I work.
Me: We are not going to allow my space to be used anymore during your internet time.
Teen: But I won't be able to talk to my brother.
Me: Doesn't your brother have access to a phone?
Teen: Yes, but he doesn't like talking on the phone.
Me: Well, there are plenty of other options to communicate with people outside of my space. I'm sure you'll find a way.

It's amazing to me that some teens now think that this "blogging" world is the only way to have relationships. Note, I am using broad generalizations here. I recognize that not everyone who uses my space is living in a bubble with no other communication. However, it is concerning to me because I was a teen not so long ago, and I remember the ease of having very open conversations using "IM" and email. Now, that is changing more to the "my space" world.

Well I guess I am undecided on this issue. At the group home, we finally decided to just stop allowing them to use my space because so much of it was inappropriate. However, I do think that there is some benefit to this type of interaction when it is used appropriately. Any thoughts? Post a comment.

Lapse in Posting

So sorry for my recent lapse. I have been doing lots of traveling this month, along with many other fun things. My most recent trip was to Monetery California for an all expense paid trip that I earned with Creative Memories. It was amazing and wonderful! I was pampered and had an amazing time. I plan to post a few photos of it soon.

Anyway, this past week has been spent trying to get caught up on everything that was neglected the first 3 weeks of May, such as laundry, bills, and housework. Plus I had a lot to do at work since I had used so much vacation time this month. It's amazing how much doesn't get done that other people are perfectly capable of doing... Hmmm - well, I guess that's why they call me a supervisor and pay me to do that stuff.

Well, I have a dentist appointment at 7:30am tomorrow - not looking forward to that at all. In the long run, it's a good thing, but I just have never enjoyed going to the dentist. I must get some sleep and hope that I wake up feeling much more energized and less lazy than I did today!

Things To Do

I'm a list person. I write lists to keep track of everything that I need to do. So, here's a few things I need to do tomorrow:

• Go to work (8am-8pm)
• Do laundry
• Pack for trip to California
• Pay bills
• Make phone calls
• Pick up stuff from a friend
  
• Drop off an album to another consultant
• Go to the post office
• SLEEP!
  

I leave for California Thursday morning, so tomorrow seems like it's going to be crazy. I am regretting not requesting tomorrow off and just taking one long vacation instead of 2 shorter ones. However, it will be good to get caught up on work stuff and see how things are going at the group home.

Well I must go, as I need to head to bed (been up since 4am today... driving from PA to home).

Pennsylvania

So we're on vacation in PA. We drove down on Friday and we're returning tomorrow. I have a few minutes so I thought I'd post. This has been a wonderful trip so far. We arrived Friday night around 7pm, not in time to go to my sis' baccalaureate service. So we just stayed and hung out at Kev and Amy's. They live about 1 hour east of Eastern (where my sis graduated from), so Saturday morning we got up bright and early to make it to the graduation. There we met up with my mom, stepdad, grandparents Pier, grandmother Lawrence, and Uncle Norman. We also managed to find Rich (Naomi's fiance) and Shannon (her friend). The graduation was long but good. We could just barely see Naomi as she walked across the stage to receive her diploma, but we cheered loudly.

After all the graduation proceedings and photo ops, we headed over to Bertucci's. This is one of my fave restuarants, but we don't have one in Maine (silly!). We ate with our family and Rich's parents, which was really nice. I had never met his parents before, so it was good to talk with them for a while. Plus, we had the Silano pizza which is wonderful! Unfortunately, the waiter was horrible - and since we were a large group, he automatically got an 18% tip. Urgh. I hate that, especially when you have a bad waiter. It's like they don't even try because they know they're going to get a good tip. After lunch we spent about 3 hours helping my sister pack up all of her stuff and load it into 3 different vehicles (mine, my mom's, and her's). I helped take some stuff over to the place where Rich and Naomi will be living after they get married. It's a beautiful house, and they'll be having an apartment in this old woman's home. They also get a den downstairs, which they'll need to clean up - but it'll be worth it since it has a fireplace!

Well other fun stuff - we went with Kev and Amy to their church Sunday. We've also had fun playing games (such as Boxers and Briefs) and also watched the Survivor Finale. Today we're headed to watch a movie and go out to lunch. FUN FUN!

I must be going as Kev and Amy have returned and we're leaving soon for our movie. Woohoo!

Well other fun things -

We're Back

Well I haven't posted in a while. This past weekend, my husband and I traveled to Portland for a marriage conference. Most people, when I told them we were going to a marriage conference, gave me sort of a funny look. Almost like - wow, they have those? Or, hmm, you guys must be having some problems....

Well, for Scott and I this wasn't the first time we'd been to a marriage retreat or conference. In fact, we had planned to go to one this past January - but those plans were cancelled due to my grandfather's death. I had no idea that just a few months later we'd have the opportunity to do something similar, but of course, God surprises us sometimes. The first blessing was that Scott and I were able to attend free due to the fact that he the youth pastor at our church. And once we got there, I knew we were there for a reason.

So to answer the first questions - no, you don't have to be having huge problems to attend a marriage conference, and yes, they do have them. This particular one was put on by Family Life, and it was definitely a wonderful weekend. I can't even begin to summarize all that I learned. But I will try a mention a few key points:

• God's purpose for marriage is oneness, and Satan is our enemy. Your spouse is not your enemy!
• We should not base our love or respect for our mate on their performance (how much or how little they meet our expectations), but rather on the fact that they are God's gift to us in this marriage.
• Forgiveness is both an event and a process - reconciliation after deep hurts can take time and forgiveness may need to continue to happen over time.

In addition to all we learned, the speakers were also AMAZING. You can go to some conferences and feel like falling asleep. I especially enjoyed Brett Ray - he is a wonderful story teller and has an amazing testimony of God's grace. The other speaker was Gary Stanley, and he was good too. I bought his book What My Dog Has Taught Me About Life. I also bought the books When Life is Changed Forever and For Women Only (I began reading it on the way home - outloud - Scott thinks it's a great book). I am looking forward to reading all of these in the near future.

Well I have rambled on and on. One other great thing about the weekend was seeing our friends Becky and Andy. We stayed with them Saturday night, and they are so great. We talked, laughed, and even convinced them to maybe go on a marriage retreat sometime...