8.31.09- Day 105

First of all... HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETHANY!!!! Hope it was a great one! Thanks for being a true friend and bosom buddy all these years. It is such a blessing to walk through the many phases of life with you. (maybe someday we'll live in the same place too!)

The picture: my exciting new "nerdy" teacher cart. I got it at Office Depot. It is a foldable crate that I can cart all of my stuff around in to each of my schools. I'm always carrying 3-5 bags on my shoulders all around the schools. My shoulders said, "enough!" I can fit everything I need in/on this baby! Oh the joys in simple things.

Also today...
First PAYCHECK!!!!!
Run with Nicole (and Nigel, but he is limping around :(. I think he is getting old. He just can't keep up with us like he used to.
Chat with Mom. I love her much.
Calzones for dinner.
Chat with Dad. I'm so proud of him. He is 3 chapters down on his dissertation and will be going for his ABD soon!
Watched Fool's Gold with Al. It was a fun chick flick movie. It even had a little bit of action. Fun!
Catching up on blogs.
To Bed!

8.30.09- Day 104

Candid picture at our Financial Peace final session potluck! We had the last session, which was all about giving and reminding us of who actually owns the money that we have. It was a really good reminder that we are simply stewards and how important it is to live with open hands. It also made me feel a little better about some of my questions about the whole Dave Ramsey philosophy (not that it is perfect, but at least I know that Dave Ramsey believes that Christ and his gift of salvation to us is more important than any amount of money and that the money in our hands is not ours, it is for His kingdom.) I feel inspired. Someday, I want to be able to look back on my life and know that the wise decisions Alan and I made with our finances and through God's grace have been able to be used by God's power to make a difference for His kingdom. Not there yet, but someday...

Also today: Church- a really great sermon. I so appreciate Pastor Dean's honesty and willingness to speak truth in a way that is full of grace. Thank you for confronting the sin in our lives and inspiring us to live the way we are called to live. Lunch with friends- Colby was still in town. A little research in the afternoon and preparing banana nut bread and a broccoli dish for the potluck. Went to bed after watching the end of the Bronco's preseason game. (it may not be such a great football season here in Denver, but we'll keep our fingers crossed!)

8.29.09- Day 103

We started out the day by going hiking at Elk Meadow Open Space in Evergreen. We almost made it up Bergen's Peak, but had to hike back down because we had plans later that afternoon. I think we still hiked about 5.5-6 miles. It was a really beautiful day to hike!

After hiking, we came home and got cleaned up. We went to celebrate Andy's birthday by playing "golf"! It was a fun time. I even tied for 2nd place!

After mini golf, we went to eat at PF Chang's, one of Andy's favorite restaurants. Then, we went to Nicole and Eric's house for brownies and cards afterwards. Fun day!

8.28.09- Day 102

Child Development Center Desk (Preschool)

Here is a picture of the other desk I call "home" on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings. It's actually WAY nicer than my other desk. If I could, I would just switch over to this office, but all of our equipment and the other PT's work at the main office. I do like the hustle and bustle at the other office as well.

Today was low key at work. I got a lot things done because Friday afternoons are reserved for paperwork. Hung out with Alan after I got home and did A LOT of yard work. We've gotten kind of lazy when it comes to house/yard work lately. I think that I was kind of the driving force before, but now that I'm busy, I don't really feel like doing it either. Such is the life of 2 working people. I think we just need to get in a rythm. We have also had house guest/plans nearly every weekend since I can remember (including this one). House projects in progress/waiting to be finished:

• Ceilings: We had them retextured when we redid our hardwood floors this spring. (We just haven't gotten around to painting them yet)
• Fence: We have 2 panels to go (since last winter)
• Trees: both front and back trees need trimming- BAD (I think they might be dying. We'll cross our fingers that they at least survive a few more years).
• Moving back in: So... when we redid the hard wood floors, we had to move EVERYTHING out of our house. So far, most of it has made it's way back in, but our bookshelves still have stacks of random things and most of our closets are not organized. (this seems to bother me more than Al though..)
• Mulch: We mulched in the back of our yard in early summer. We just ran out when we had maybe 1/8 to go. Somehow when we went to China, the weed monster went crazy and now we need to retake over that section. Seriously... we have access to FREE mulch and we just haven't gone to get it!
• There's probably more projects, but that's all I can think of right now.

Anyone want to come help us?!

Al and I ended the day by making white chicken chili and watching Unforgiven (an older Western with Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman.) Ahhhh.

8.27.09- Day 101

Picture of the TAP room crew tonight... I haven't been in forever. It was really great though. I need people around me that care about each other and about the world. I even got to see Mark, who recently got back from Kenya/Zambia and I got to see Ryan who is most likely moving to Tennessee within the week to be an RD. We sang the song "From the inside out" tonight. It is my prayer tonight:

A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
my heart and my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out
Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out Lord, my soul cries out

And... some cool pictures Alan took of our recently leafing fern plant.

Also today... my first Trinneal, a stubborn child, some fun children who were actually excited to do what I planned for them, hanging out with Alan this afternoon (we actually got some stuff done), salmon and sweet potato for dinner (we did an experiment to see which type of sweet potato is better- the red ones or the brown ones. brown is definitely better. better texture and it actually has a taste!) Then I watered the grass, took Nigel for a walk, and headed over to TAP room.

8.26.09- Day 100!!!

First of all, I have reached Day 100!!!! Wow, this year is flying by. We are almost 1/3 of the way through the year since I started my blog in May. There have been many life changes. I graduated from PT school and started working. My sister got married. Stacy started college. My parents are now empty-nesters. Allie moved to Texas to spend time with Matthew. We travelled to China and got to know Megan's life there. Some things have been constant. Al is still working his job in the ICU and we are still doing mini projects on our house. We're still in Finiancial Peace University (which ends this Sunday). Our church and small group are the same. Life is interesting. It is dynamic and constant at the same time.

On another tangent... I have my husband back (well for tonight and then again on Friday til next Thursday!) Boy, I'm sure glad I got married because I'm not cut out to be single. I'm not sure if I got weak when I got married or if I was just made to be with Al. I can't seem to make decisions, I get lonely, and well, I just plain miss him when he is gone for so many days straight (and seeing him for 1 waking hour per day just doesn't cut it). Anyways, we went out to eat tonight and watched a movie (The Waitress). The pic is of our feet propped up on our computer chair while we watched the movie. It mainly just reminds me that we were together. I enjoyed watching the Waitress, but it kept making me cringe because pretty much every couple in the movie was unhappy and having an affair, but the movie made you want them to do it because their situations were so bad. Then, at the end the main character has a baby and somehow it solves everyone's problems, which for some reason I just don't think is true. I don't understand why sometimes movies can't just have morals and be real. Is that too much to ask for?

Better get to bed because I have my first IEP staffing tomorrow morning bright and early! Go PT!

8.25.09- Day 99

Apparently... I look like a PT. According to Nicole, wearing khakis, a brightly colored shirt, and having short hair constitutes the "PT look." haha. I guess I truly am a PT then, because that's what I wear almost everyday. (might I add that the wrinkles in the khakis and hair behind the ears may be more telling of what I do for my job- sit on the floor all day with kids!)

Today was spend running around a lot, doing a lot of paperwork, and treating some kiddos. I got to eat lunch at home, which is always nice. I spent time with Alan for a while after work (before he went to work). Thankfully, tonight is his last night for 8 days!!!! It's hard when he works 4 days straight, but it's also really nice when he is off 8 days straight! Chatted with my dear mother for a while. Went to small group and had a fun time eating spaghetti and hearing Bob and Kyla's story. The more and more I get to know the people in my small group, the more I love them! We have such a fun group. Home again, home again after that. I am determined to spend a little bit of time tonight reading before I go to sleep. Good night!

8.24.09- Day 98

Clean desk

Dirty desk

Finally remembered to take a picture of my desk at my office! I'm on the end of two desks that are pushed together in the middle of the office. I'm kind of jealous because one of the new OT's (and a contract OT at that) got a nice big corner desk on the wall. I want that one! Hmmm... maybe she will leave and I can claim it! Oh well, I like where my desk is, in the middle of everything.

Also today: school, school, school. I am getting really handy with the allen wrenches and W/C adjusting. I still have a lot to learn though. Equipment management is such a huge part of this job. I'm also excited because I have a new student who is a resettled refugee and she is affected by polio. I think that my experiences in Ethiopia will help me relate to her and treat her! I worked late today (didn't get home til 5). Made a quick breakfast burrito dinner, said bye to Alan. I'm meeting Carissa and Sarah in a few minutes at Cold Stone. Who can resist icecream?! I still have a few things I need to get done for school as well.

Update: I finally went to the grocery store!!! I bought like 15 things of yogurt just because I've been missing it so much!

8.23.09- Day 97

Oh dear. The recycling is overflowing... again. Unfortunately, the city of Aurora does not offer free recycling and we are too cheap to pay for it along with trash service. The school our church meets at has a recycling dumpster from Shriners, so we normally just take our recycling with us to church and dump it there (it's amazing, you can dump all of your recycling in together without sorting!). The only problem is... I don't think we've taken it in at least a month. We're so overflowed that we've started throwing away things we would normally recycle.

Good intentions. Failed attempts. Maybe I'll take it sometime this week.

Sounds similar to my attempts to make it to the grocery store last week. I think it was on my planner everyday. Have I gone? Just look at my to-do list for Monday :).

It's all about priorities. (aparently mine is wasting time?)

Also today: taught Sunday school for the 1st-5th graders again. We've really got to separate those two classes! They are on totally different levels! Any volunteers for Sunday school teachers at SFC? I also took a nap this afternoon, went to Financial Peace University, took care of some to-do's, FINALLY put away my clean clothes from 2 weeks ago, chatted with Steph, watered the grass, and now I am blogging before bed. The last hour of my day ended up being pretty productive!

8.22.09- Day 96

Hmm... shopping today with the Hunt girls (Kayleen, Jamie, and me). I looked and looked for some Privos (a cheaper offshoot from Clarks that are super comfy and cute). I didn't find any that I liked or fit me at the mall, but I found these online and they were half price of the ones at the store! Perfect for working as a PT all day in the schools. I like our women shopping trips, mainly because I get to spend time with two quality women (or sometimes up to 4 if Grandma Brown and Amy Tuttle come too). I also got two shirts (Gap was having a buy one shirt get one free sale). I hung out with Alan for a little while before he went to work and then Nicole came over for a while this evening. We visited about many different things. It was a nice relaxing time.

But, I have questions... in light of the charity:water video I posted yesterday... what is okay? Is it okay to spend money on clothing if you don't NEED it when there are a billion people in the world without clean drinking water? Is it okay to buy things if you give some money away too, or is that just pacifying some need to feel like you are making a difference? Where is the line?

"Sell everything you have and give it to the poor."

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

"Is not this the kind of fasting that I have chosen... Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter--when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"

I don't know.

Jesus, give me a heart to listen to you and care more about others than myself.

8.21.09- Day 95

Watch this. There is power in compassion and in numbers. Together we can truly change the world. It is already happening.

The story of charity: water - The 2009 September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo.

8.20.09- Day 94

Thank you Alan for your modeling abilities (haha).
Today :
1. Went to work and met one of my cute preschoolers who is really involved. I was glad to be there to help transition her to preschool and show the staff how to transfer her.
2. Talked with my mom about her first couple days of school. And, my sister, Stacy, is heading off to college tomorrow!
3. Went to Fat Albert's in Greeley to celebrate Matt's birthday (Happy Birthday Matt!!!!!)
4. Visited with the fam.

• Matt and Jamie are both going back to school (one for web design and one for a Masters in Christian leadership- possible youth pastorship?)
• Kayleen has a budding project that I'm excited about! She is planning a holistic enrichment education program to help new parents discover ways to enhance their child's development in many areas (math readiness, literacy, communication, motor skills, etc). The program would explain how certain activities enhance brain development and then demonstrate specific activities that parents can do with their children.
  

*Question: do you think you would be interested in this type of program if you had the opportunity to take it?

5. Got a "new" computer chair for free! Don't you just love free things from family. Alan and I are such scavengers. We'll take anything for free and often don't buy anything on the off chance we'll be able to find one for free. Oh well, we're recycling, right?

8.19.09- Day 93

• Busy day treating kiddos at Vaughn Elementary and the CDC.
  
• Picked Andy up from the airport.
• Came home to above citation note telling us that we have too many weeds in the alley and that we need to trim our trees.
  
• Ran to a 2 hour meeting that I have to go to once a month to get my teaching certificate (makes sense that I would have to do that huh? can you sense my sarcasm?)
• Trimmed trees in order to not pay fine to the city of Aurora. See above picture. It really does not do justice. The pile is about 5 feet tall. We really needed to trim those trees.
  
• Talked with neighbors and found out they got a note too.
• Watered, talked with Alan. Blogged. Forgot about the tea I heated up. About to go read some Wild Swans. Then sleep.
  

8.18.09- Day 92

Oh to be a physical therapist. This American Educational "river" beam is my current desire. I am on the verge of buying it. I should just bite the bullet and do it because I would use this baby during at least half of my therapy sessions. The only question is: why is educational and therapy equipment SO expensive? NOT FAIR! We are definitely not the ones making the big bucks out there. Come on, give us a break! I need to hit up some garage sales soon too!

Also today:

• Very busy day in the PT world. Zoomed from kiddo to kiddo and site to site. Preschoolers came today, so I spent the afternoon trying to meet their positioning/equipment needs.
  
• Saw Alan for about 1.5 hours today.
• Played ball with Nigel in an effort to make myself feel better that I deprived him of yet another run.
• Ate a very delicious dinner at Phillip and Lindsey's. They made a tapas style dinner with bruschetta, stuffed mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini/squash, and a delicious chocolate mousse! ps- we got to hear their story of how they met and got married!
  
• Home. Somehow I always manage to waste time at night. I don't even know what I do. It's already 10:40! Anyone have tips? (especially tips on getting out of bed when you want to and getting to bed when you want to?)
  

8.17.09- Day 91

I am reading this book on recommendation from my friend Megan, who lives in China. I am at the beginning right now, but it is a memoir about a girl, her mother, and her grandmother as they live through different time periods in China. I'm excited to learn more about China's history through personal stories. More to come on this as I get more into the story.

Today...
1. Struggle to wake up
2. Paperwork from home
3. Treat kiddos at 6th Ave Elementary
4. Eat lunch
5. Treat more kiddos
6. Run errands at the office
7. Run back to 6th Ave for a meeting, but to no avail because the person I was meeting with left
8. Hang out with Al
9. Read Better Homes and Gardens
10. Surf the net
11. Take Nigel for a walk
12. Eat a salad for dinner (and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream- shh don't tell!)
13. Watch episodes of Scrubs
14. Talk to the sister (Stephanie)
15. Blog, read, watch the news, sleep!

8.16.09- Day 90

Today:
1. Breakfast with friends
2. Church- good new song that I like "How he loves us" and mission team to mexico presentation and exhortation to serve
3. Lunch at Panera with small group and JBU friends
4. Drive up to Greeley
5. Dinner at the Shelton's house/boys volleyball
6. Family pictures for the nursing school 30 year reunion (except that's only for Debbie and Allison)
7. Drive home from Greeley and stop to fill up with gas (since Alan decided it would be easier to wait until we were on the way home)
8. Chat with Sister and Friend
10. Arrive home and spent way to much time updating my blog

Again... can't believe I didn't take ANY pictures of us with Paul and Bethany. Pretty soon no one will even believe we were hanging out together. I really need to step this picture taking thing up!

8.15.09- Day 89

Fun day with Paul and Bethany and Denverite friends. We picked Paul and Bethany up (well actually it was Al that picked them up) from the airport around 9:30, then we went to Sarah's house for breakfast. We hung out for a good part of the morning and laughed a lot and made fun of each other. (it's really something we do best). We then went with Paul and Bethany to eat lunch and see their cousins. It was JB, Alan, Susan and the Shelton clan. After that, Alan and JB went to play softball and I weeded while Paul and Bethany went to go see one of their cousin's babies. Then dinner and conversation at Eric and Nicole's house (minus Eric). We played hand and foot back at our house after dinner. Unfortunately I completely forgot to take any pictures all day, so you get a beautiful picture of our hand and foot score sheet and the cards we played with. Good, full day.

8.14.09- Day 88

1. Busy day filled with catching up on paperwork, meeting with the retired PT I am replacing (or attempting to replace), and training paraprofessionals in transfers and lifting.
2. Taco dinner at the new "girls" house.
3. Hang out and visit/watch the Bronco's first preseason game.
4. Clean house.
5. Argue/make-up.
6. Sleep.

On another note... more thoughts on Dave Ramsey and Financial Peace University. We had several discussions last night about financial peace university and I ended up taking the side of Dave Ramsey, which I'm not sure I'm completely for. I think in groups that love him I would take the other side. I think wise use of money is very biblical. It's basically what the book of Proverbs talks most about. Jesus also talks about money a lot. I think sometimes as Christians we start to think that money is evil and that it is a taboo subject to talk about. I think that talking about money is extremely important, especially in our society where so many people are drowning in debt and are just not wise stewards of their money. I think the topic of money is kind of like the topic of sex. In Christian circles no one wants to meddle or talk about either of these topics. They are too "personal." But, we live in a world where money is essential for buying food or traveling or having shelter, etc. If we want to serve God with our money, it can't be owed to someone else and we can't be living one emergency to another where all the money is tied up in only daily needs. I think God gives us brains and economic principles for a reason.

On the other hand, I believe that a preoccupation with money can turn into the worship of it. We know that as Christians we can really only have one God. We have to be willing to use all of our resources, whatever they are, for his kingdom. I think this is where Dave Ramsey misses the boat a little. He tends to be very "me" focused. The reason that you are financially responsible in his course is so that you can have the security and the things you want in the future. You can retire well and drive a nice car and not have to worry about money anymore. I don't think this is what God calls us to. I think that we have to think about money in order to have it to be stewards of it, but that if we think about it too much so that we are preoccupied with gaining it, we have missed the point. Our hearts and our actions have to match. There is bondage in debt and poverty the same as there is bondage in wealth and greed. I agree with my friend Sarah when she said last night that if churches are going to rave about and support Dave Ramsey, they also need to be ready to teach other biblical principles about social justice and biblical stewardship.

8.13.09- Day 87

Not too busy at work today. I did get a lot done though. I made it to visit with the last few teachers and pretty much have my schedule tentatively set for next week. I have plenty to do tomorrow though!

This evening... I got to hang out with Alan for a while. We watched the second episode of Jericho- a series about a little town in KS that is spared while much of the US is hit by Atomic bombs. Sounds cheesy, but I think we are hooked. We're watching it on Netflix. We made a yummy steak salad for dinner with some leftover steak when Alan grilled out the other night.

After Alan left, I went to Dick's Sporting Goods to return my hairy ball that was totally deflated (oh pediatric therapy equipment). It was really sad. At least I got my money back. I saw some at Target later that looked better. I decided to go to Target to get my groceries instead of driving all the way to walmart. Of course, I forgot my list! I actually did a good job, but forgot the Northern beans AGAIN! No white chicken chili for a few more days! Oh, in place of the Northern beans I got some cute new shoes that were on sale (see pic).

After I got home, I tidied for a while (much needed.) Then, sat down to watch Private Practice (overly dramatic, but dealing with big issues as usual). And... I watched the news for the first time in months. Yay for having a job and not homework!

8.12.09- Day 86

Today... Today was okay. It had good parts and not as good parts and so so parts. It was probably one that will just blend in with the rest of my life, not sticking out for any reason. I'm starting to realize some of the realities of my job. There are also not so wonderful realities: I am a new graduate and new to this job, which means I have a TON to learn, I will be limited in the ways I can help kids until I learn more about equipment, resources, and conditions, I have to earn the respect of my colleagues, and I when I make mistakes they affect other people. There are wonderful realities: I get to hang out with kids all day, I get to be part of helping them access their school environment better, I get to be part of building their self esteem, and I get to show them love. I have decided this year that I will do my absolute best. But... I won't expect more than that from myself because there is nothing more I can give.

Also today... hurried lunch at Wendy's (why do I keep thinking I'll have time to run home for lunch?), making dinner with Alan- yummy pasta with peanut sauce, surfing the internet, laundry, AND... an avocado sprout. Yes, Alan and I have our very own avocado growing from a seed from the store. Someday (in the very distant future, since avocados take years to produce fruit) Alan and I will have an avocado tree and will no longer pay $.69 to $1.50 for an avocado. And, we will bask in the glory of endless guacamole!

8.11.09- Day 85

Today, I treated kids all morning. They were pretty cooperative- we had fun. I also visited the middle school I will be working at. I was at the office for the rest of the day. Alan and I ran after work. Alan cooked dinner tonight- steak, green beans, and biscuits! He marinated the steaks in Dale's and brown sugar-it's the best ever. We did some dishes and laundry, then headed out to the grocery store. We got some super deals at Albertsons. We saved $35! We got a bunch of cereal and nutrigrain bars, etc for $1 each (with the mail in rebate, which we mailed tonight). Yay for savings!

8.10.09- Day 84

First day back after the wedding today. Also my second day with kids. I got a lot done and met a lot of people. Right now, it seems my main job is to make connections with all the right people. I hope I'm doing a good job!

After work, Alan and I had a nice romantic evening. We ate dinner while watching a movie. While I took a walk with Nigel, Alan surprised me by drawing a bubble bath and putting out candles all around. He even gave me a back massage!!!! He is so sweet and thoughtful. We put together some of the lanterns that I bought for Steph's wedding that weren't needed. It added a nice ambiance. Maybe we'll leave them there permanently (but more evenly spaced)?

8.10.09- Day 83

Finally on our way home to Denver... We spent time in the morning with my family and the Galbos (our extended family). My cousin Natalie's little girl, Julia, was not a help to my baby bug. She was sooo cute and good natured! We headed out on our way to KC. We made pretty good time and arrived about 1.45 before our flight was suppose to leave. Thanks to weather, our flight was delayed 3 times (it left about 2 hours late). We had major turbulence in the air (I've never felt sick on an airplace before). Finally we made it away from the storm and it calmed down. Then our plane had to circle Denver for 30 minutes because of a storm there! At least we didn't have to spend the night in the airport like the girl sitting next to us was going to have to do. We finally arrived around 10:15pm and our dear and gracious friend Nicole picked us up. Once we made it home... straight to bed for me!

8.8.09- Day 82

Happy Birthday Al!!!!! Happy Wedding Steph and Charlie!!!! It was a beautiful day and a beautiful wedding. I definitely shed a few tears, but only because I'm so happy my little sis found someone to love for the rest of her life. Congrats! Hope you're having fun in Belize! This day was full of wedding, reunion with old family and friends, and rest. I so enjoyed witnessing Steph's wedding!

Another fav of the trip was hanging out with Stacy. I so enjoyed chatting and getting to spend quality time with her. She's awesome. Good luck starting college sis!

8.7.09- Day 81

Today... whirlwind of manicures/pedicures, bridesmaid luncheons, last minute wedding details, rehearsals, rehearsal dinners, sister chats, packing Steph for the honeymoon, prepping speech, etc...

8.6.09- Day 80

The Bride's Parking Job


Sister's Hugging the Bride's handmade lingerie (made by the bachelor and a crawfish bag)


TP lingerie designing contest


Uh Oh...


Happy 2 days before the wedding! Since Alan and I arrived at 4am in Arkansas today, we slept in a little. I woke up and chatted with Stacy for a while, then got ready for the day. We did a bunch of wedding errands, prepped for the bachelorette party, had a big dinner with the Loups/Galbos, hosted bachelorette party, went to bed with sinus nose.