Green Thumb #2

It's "done"! I say "done" but I know the real work is just beginning! But, for me, the hardest work is done & I love the way my new garden looks. The other day we were sitting in the living room with some friends & the windows were open. There was a slight breeze that brought in a fresh aroma from the garden.

I planted all perennials (with the exception of some free snapdragons--they are my favorite). I only had two plants die--phlox, I think. They weren't very healthy when I bought them. My neighbor (who is an expert gardener) says that you aren't a real gardener unless you kill about 30% of your plants--so I'm feeling ok about it! I love having something to take care of & we've had TONS of rain, so that's made it lots easier!

I can't wait until we get the bushes/trees/weeds out of the other parts of the yard so I can keep trying my hand at gardening! I think my next endeavor will be with bushes/shrubs! Oh, and my new favorite thing is---mulch!! It looks so nice & is cheap & easy! How did I not know about this before??

Opinion Blog #2

Here is the second round of my "Opinion Blog". Hope you enjoy reading it. Today's reviews all get 2 thumbs up!

I have found that I really enjoy reading nonfiction & historical nonfiction. Who knew? I used to just love reading novels about whatever...

Last fall, I started reading the "Mark of the Lion" series by Francine Rivers. I had started it a long time ago when a friend bought me the first book in the series, but I just couldn't get into it! The first book, A Voice in the Wind starts off with a chilling description of the battle of Jerusalem from 70AD. I had no idea what that had been like for the Jews living there at that time. Gruesome. But the more I read, the more I was hooked. I stayed up late night after night to read the next chapter (this is not a normal behavior for me--I love sleep & never get enough of it!). I had to check out the next book from the library. I was not happy I had to wait to get it! The third book is quite a bit different from the first two, but was equally as enjoyable. A must read for Christians who want a different perspective of the 1st Century Church.

After getting a dog in December, I decided I needed to do some reading about dog training and dog behavior in general. My dad & one of other friends who recently got a dog turned us on to The Dog Whisperer (aka Cesar Milan). I think his show is on The National Geographic Channel. We rented the first season of DVD's from Netflix. We loved the show, so I checked out his book, Cesar's Way. It is a very easy read and starts with his own person biography of how he made his way to Hollywood from Mexico. The book explains natural dog behaviors and how to help dogs from a psychological level. A must read for anyone with a dog or who has children who will be around a dog. It has great tips on how to help kids behave appropriately around dogs. I will caution you that it does have some New Age material that I don't necessarily agree with. I just skipped over those parts and used discernment with the other material. Great book to read & a good handbook for dogs with troubled owners (read the book & you'll understand what I mean).

Finally, and probably most strangely, I have started reading non-fiction books about Communist China. China? Yes, China. My principal lived there for a number of years and I have enjoyed seeing pictures and hearing from her about the culture that seems so different from ours. Recently, she told me about a book called Wild Swans by Jung Chang. It is quite thick and full of history dating back to the 1800's. It starts with the story of her grandmother, a concubine to a Chinese warlord in the 1920's. It continues on with her mother's story and her own, leading up through the 1970's. I haven't actually finished it (it's due tomorrow--yikes!). But it is excellent. Again, I think Christians (and most Americans in general) should read this book. It has given me a totally new perspective on the communist way of life and what other countries are like outside of the USofA. Two thumbs up for me!

Her most recent book is called Mao and is all about the communist leader who ruled China for much of the later 20th Century. I hope to tackle that after I take a break from this heavy subject for a while!

Enjoy! If you read any of them, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

We'll see what other opinions I come up with. Don't worry, I'll think of something!

Green Thumb

To be honest, my green thumb may as well be spray paint. My mom, dad & Aunt Connie all have 2 green HANDS compared to me. But, that has not stopped me from trying!

My mom was here in April & helped me come up with some ideas for a small self-contained plot in the front of our yard & I finally had time to get some planting done! Let me tell you, Home Depot was hopping when I went down there at 10:00am on a Saturday! So, here is a picture of my FIRST attempt at gardening. The picture on the bottom is the finished side and the picture on the top is the unfinished side. I need to get a few more plants for that side. The plants are small, but my hope is big! I'll keep you posted!

3 & 1

On May 23, Joel & I will have owned our house for 1 year & on May 29, we will celebrate our 3rd anniversary! It has been a major year of changes and is sure to be another year of change to come.

As the school year wraps up and we celebrate many things in the next few weeks, (both of our birthdays, Mother's & Father's Day, anniversary, etc...) it seemed like a good time to reflect. Many things have changed in the last year...we now own a house & all the housework that comes with it! We own a dog--how great that has been. It's been a new year for us at work--me learning to work at school without Joel and Joel wrestling his way though the year at a new school. Now, we look forward to some stability--we're keeping our same jobs, we're living in the same house, we're not planning on getting any more pets....

One major change that will begin this summer is that Joel has been accepted into Graduate School & will start his classes on June 11. He will work on his Master of Arts in Liberal Studies at University of Denver at their University College. He hopes to graduate at the end of the summer of 2009 with an emphasis in Creative Writing.

Another major change is that I will only be working 4 days a week next year (32 hours instead of 40+++) each week! I am so excited and feel that God has really blessed me with the opportunity to do this. I essentially get to keep my same job, but just delegate some of the work to others.

I think the other major change that has occurred over the last year & I hope will continue into the next is our spiritual development. We found a church we love with many friends. We love our crazy small group & we have found that fellowship with other great believers is such a blessing.

As we close out this first year of owning a home & as the end of our 3rd year of marriage arrives, I couldn't help but to think about the numbers 3 & 1 again. It's been amazing how I've come to understand (a little better) the mystery that is the Trinity--God, Jesus & the Holy Spirit. It is really amazing how Paul talks about all 3 throughout the book of Romans. And, it's really amazing to me how each part of the Trinity has a special place and position and job. The three parts of the Trinity all encompass the ONE mighty work that God did on the cross through Jesus Christ. Without one of the Trinity, the work would not be complete and we would not be saved. How AMAZING our God is to have such a perfect plan!

So, as we celebrate our 3 & 1 anniversary this year, I hope you will be blessed by the 3 & 1 of the bible today!

The Good & The Bad

I've decided that since I tend to be opinionated about things, I may as well post my opinion about a few things on my blog! :) (If that's not the understatement of the year, I don't know what is!) My first "Opinion Blog" will be about books that get made into movies. I love to read, and I especially love to read books and then watch the movie. Like most readers, I love to form my own pictures in my mind while reading. Then, while watching the movie, I love to see how other people envisioned the story.

Back in January (the field trip was delayed in December because of our major snow storms!) our entire school went to see the newly released film, Charlotte's Web. When I learned we were going to see the movie, I quickly found a copy of the book (they were rather difficult to come by at this time) and read the book in one sitting (it's not very long or complex). I was reminded of how I love the book and had high expectations going into the movie. I also really love the cartoon version of the book. I have to say that even surrounded by 300+ elementary school age children, I was still brought to tears at the end. It was a great movie! The director & producers did a great job portraying the spirit and major themes of the movie. The acting was great, the animals were great & I just loved it! Two thumbs up! A must see for young children!

Next up, I read the books Eragon and Eldest, I think a 3rd book is coming out sometime soon... These are fantasy books targeted at jr high/high schoolers who love fantasy. I really enjoyed reading this book about a boy and dragons. It is set in a fantasy world much like Lord of the Rings. I was delighted to learn it was being made into a movie. Joel & I just watched it last night. Honestly, I give it two thumbs down. I know the book is dense with details and plot and characters, but the movie covered about 1/4 or less of it. I was really disappointed. Read the book, skip the movie.

Happy Easter!

It must be some sort of cultural expectation--what with fancy spring easter dresses & hats--that the weather should be warm and beautiful come Easter morning. That's what I expected today--the sun shinning brightly, birds chirping and daffodils poking up through the ground as we awoke to celebrate our risen Lord. However, here in Colorado, we would have no such weather today--or any day recently.

It's surprising how much the weather can brighten--or in this case, dampen, your mood. Friday it was cold and rainy ("schleppy weather" I like to call it) and that put me in a bad mood. I was supposed to be on duty--outside for 30 minutes before school started. I would have no such part of that nasty mess--I selfishly took inside duty only to leave 2 other teachers out in the rain--I had paid my dues back in December when it was "wicked cold". How could the weather alone force me to make such a poor, selfish decision?

But, here I was, warm & toasty, inside, on this Good Friday. It's only fitting for this day that we celebrate--it is what started the "holiday" to begin with--selfishness. It says in Matthew 27:18 that Jesus knew it was "out of envy" that they [the chief priests and elders] had handed Jesus over to him [Pilate]. Isn't that just selfishness, envying something or someone so much that you do something as drastic as sending them to their death?

The weather did not improve on Friday night or Saturday--which again, seemed fitting for the mood. Saturday would have been "Preparation Day" for the body of Jesus, a sad day for those who knew Jesus. His body would have been prepared with herbs and incense and placed in a tomb. What a sad day for Mary Magdalene, Mary & the other disciples, for they did not understand what was to come. The weather here in Colorado seemed to echo their sadness.

Then this morning as I awoke early and came upstairs, I was truly hoping for that spring weather--warm & rejoicing--calling out to God in celebration for his mighty work of raising Jesus from the dead. But, as you can see from the picture, it is none of that today. It is however, snowy, cold and dismal.



But, then I got to thinking about what today really means for us--it is not only Resurrection Day for Jesus, it is the Day of our Salvation--the celebration of our own death--death to sin & our own resurrection--our new life with Christ! We can live a new life in him because HE died FOR us.

So, how does this relate to the dreary weather? God's love and salvation is like the snow--falling freely from heaven. It comes when least expected & in abundance--no one can count the number of flakes falling from the sky. The snow is white--pure white--almost blinding--brighter than the sun. God's love & salvation & forgiveness are all of those things--pure & overwhelming. The snow that is falling today is covering the grass-well, in our case, brown & dried up, not yet full of life (like most of our neighbors'). The snow is covering our lawn--just like it covers our sin. Jesus died for us & covers our sin--we no longer have to have a relationship with it! We have a new relationship with Jesus.

The most beautiful part of the weather is that God is in control of it--if I were God, I would have requested sunshine, chirping birds & warmth to celebrate my son's resurrection. But, alas, I am not God & do not understand his ways. But, I do know that I will be thankful for this weather today and I will celebrate Jesus' resurrection from the dead & my own resurrection from the dead life I lived before!

"We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore, buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life! If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection...The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God." Romans 6:2-5, 10

Visit to the East Coast

In February I went to Washington DC for
the Core Know-
ledge National Conference with my school. There were a total of 10 of us that went--it was lots of fun! For DC in February, it wasn't even that cold! We had a great time going to the conference & eating lots & lots of yummy food! The portions are just so big at some restaurants! :) Don't worry, I didn't really eat all of that food--although, I really wanted to because it was sooooo good!

We were also able to tour the White House, courtesy of our local congresswoman. Some of the people I went with don't get out of Colorado much, I think, because the looooonnnnggg escalator rides up and down to the metro stations were a big hit! If you've ever been to DC, you know what I'm referring to--the 4 story long escalators!

After the conference, I was able to go visit Aimee & Gary & Faith & Avery! It was GREAT! A much needed rest for me & so much fun to be with family! We had a great time--I even got to visit Faith's preschool! Avery is a real cutie--she smiles so nicely for the camera, even though she was probably cutting about 2 or 3 teeth!


What fun it was! Now I have to wait till August to see them again...too long between visits with all our family!

All The Rage

As some of you may know, here in Colorado Crocs are a really hot item. Joel has come to be known for his orange Crocs. He didn't wear them one day to school--for good reason--it was Parent/Teacher Conference night & he wanted to look professional (let's face it, rubber shoes with holes are NOT on even the "business casual" list). However, he was reprimanded by a couple of parents and administrators at school for NOT wearing them--Hey, Mr. J, where are your crocs? he heard over & over that night.

Well, now it's time for a new trend in Colorado footwear...hiking shoes crossed with sandals for men. Joel got a pair a few weeks ago & I was telling my sister about them on the phone. She didn't understand what they were, so I thought I would post a couple of pictures. Here you go, Aimee! :)

President's Day Eve Ramblings

So, here it is a month later & I haven't blogged. It has been a busy month indeed! Both Joel & I have been busy with work and other commitments. We have finally been able to enjoy a long weekend at home. I've been spending a lot of time recently scrapbooking. In the scrapbook world everyone always has a project going...my current projects are my regular album; mine run from May to May since we were married in May. I just have 1 one page to do (hopefully tomorrow) and I am all caught up through Christmas! I am also working on an 8"x8" dog book about our adorable puppy, Haiku. I have the book & all the pictures, I just haven't started yet. I think I'll bring it with on my trip this week and see if I can get some done with my sister, Aimee.

What we have been able to do in the last few weeks is get Haiku together with lots of our friends' dogs--Larry, a friend from work & his dog Phoenix, Garrett & Jordan (even though they live in Greeley), and their dogs Glacier & Arya, plus their family's dogs, Scout, Rosie, Chicken & Biscuit, plus our friends Betsy & Aaron & their crazy puppy Libby (short for Liberty Belle)...and our friends Tracy & Kim and their big ole' dog, Fozzie. (pictured here--it's a miracle they both sat still enough for a couple of pictures). What fun! They are both tuckered out at the end of the day!












So just when you think "how could she be ANY cuter??" take a look at the pictures below. Joel came home from work the other day & found this disaster waiting for him. I am none too happy about it. Good thing I just got a sewing machine. I'm really sorry, mom! I hope I can fix them!














I have to say in her defense, that it is the only thing she has destroyed. And, they must have been tempting just hanging above her crate (you can see it above). I do have to brag about Haiku about one more thing. She has successfully figured out how to break out of her crate. We have resorted to padlocking the top & bottom of the crate while we're gone. She doesn't destroy anything (in fact Joel found her in her bed, in the basement==through 2 doors--the other day). I'm so proud of our little Houdini! :) Ha, not really! I can't wait until this summer when we'll be home more & hopefully have the gate fixed so she can be outside!

Flagpole Danger

In the past six years I have witnessed some pretty crazy stuff: explosive vomiting in the middle of class, bloody noses, strange mishaps involving pencils and skin, and you can only imagine what else middle school students might think of. But today far surpasses anything I have seen to date. Keep in mind it was 14 BELOW zero (with the wind chill) after school today during dismissal. The middle schoolers came out of the building to get in their nice warm cars when one of the boys (and probably others, too) thought it would be a grand idea to stick his tongue to the flagpole. So, he did. Screams erupted, shouting ensued, and I thought one teacher was going to faint. Thankfully our fearless and brave science teacher was right there and prevented the student from ripping his tongue entirely off of the pole. A little warm water later and the tongue was saved. Although, I did see quite a bit of blood coming from his mouth and heard rumors that part of his tongue was still stuck on the pole. I did not get visual confirmation of that. Now as far as a tongue-lashing over the weekend from his parents, I don't know if his new-found popularity among his peers will outweigh that.

I'm so tired of...

SNOW! It has snowed every week (at least one day) for the past three weeks. I think it's time that I apologize for my outright lie in my blog Let it Snow that it never snows in Denver (from way back in November)! I guess in the winter of 2006-2007 it does! A lot! We've had at least 3 feet of snow in the past three weeks and they are predicting an even bigger storm for this Thursday & Friday---another 3 feet all at once!! I think the makers of snow blowers are going to be making big bucks this year! It has also been cold, so a lot of the old snow hasn't melted, making it an even bigger mess around town. We go back to work tomorrow (Monday) and do not want more snow days--isn't that ironic? If we have too many snow days, we'll have to work later into June. :(

Hope everyone had a great New Year's & are still keeping those resolutions!

Quilt & Paper

This past summer we helped my mother in law move out of her house so we could buy it from her. One of the things we had to do was clean out the closet of all of Joel's dad's clothes. It was a very hard day for both Joel & Rhonda as they took most of the clothes to the Denver Rescue Mission. What Rhonda didn't know is that Joel & I kept aside some of Joel's dad's favorite shirts. We put them in a box & hid them! Over Labor Day weekend, my friend Jordan helped me start to piece the shirts together into a quilt. My mom & Jordan's sister in law, Briony, helped me finish it up. I had to have someone do the quilting for me, but otherwise, it was my second quilt! I am very proud of it and Rhonda loved it--we gave it to her for Christmas. It is a great reminder of special times. Here is a semi-good picture of it.



We allowed Haiku to make a mess of our wrappings on Christmas morning. It was hilarious. Not as much fun as kids, but close! Doesn't it make you want to get a puppy?? Hope you had a very Merry Christmas! We did--we were in our pj's until 5:30pm! :)

The Snowy Day

One of my favorite books as a kid was The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats and here in Colorado we have had MANY snowy days, just like in the book! Early last week the weather forecasters predicted a HUGE storm for Wednesday & Thursday but I'm not sure people really believed them. They have been wrong before, you know. On Wednesday morning (our last couple of days of work before Winter Break), we woke up to find that school had been canceled for Wednesday. Crazy because it hadn't begun SNOWING yet! But, alas, school was canceled. It's the first time I was actually sad to have school canceled-- we were going to see Charlotte's Web as a whole school! Joel was also a bit disappointed because Wed/Thurs were final days at school and it's always easier to get those over with rather than having to go back after break and finish them up. Anyway, as you may know, the city of Denver was pretty much shut down all of Wednesday, Thursday & most of Friday. Needless to say, our Winter Break started 3 days early!!! We had almost THREE feet of snow!!! The drifting made some areas of our yard pile up to 5 feet!

We had a great time being at home, shoveling our above- ground deck--have you ever shoveled your DECK??, meeting our neighbors (thankfully one had a snowblower he was lending out) and playing with Haiku in the snow. She was a bit scared a first--the snow is well over her head--but our neighbor's 80 pound+ yellow lab showed Haiku how it's done. Haiku has a new friend and they are super cute!We are dug out of the snow for now, although the roads aren't great! We went to Greeley last night to see our friends Garrett & Jordan and made it back in time for the Broncos game. (priorities here people). And, guess what? It's snowing again!

Tonight we will go to church and spend the evening with my mother in law, Rhonda, celebrating our Savior's birth. Our priority this year is to remember why we give gifts at Christmas--because Jesus gave us the best FREE gift of all. Have a very Merry Christmas!

Haiku Surprise!

Surprise! As many of you know, Joel has wanted a dog since before we even met. He's been really sad about not being able to get one this past summer. We were just too busy! So, this week when a parent told me in the dismissal pick up line at school she'd give me one of her black lab puppies for FREE, I just had to say YES! So, I told Joel he needed to come home early on Wednesday for a surprise. He thought maybe dinner & a movie! I had him pull his hat over his eyes and we drive all over town. I couldn't fool him though--he knew where we were (within a block). I had the student bring out on eof the puppies and put it in Joel's arms while he was still blindfolded. We all took pictures. It was so cute & Joel was totally surprised. He thought we were just there to look!



We went inside and he picked out Haiku (her name) from the 4 remaining puppies--3 girls and a boy. She is very calm (for a puppy) and is very sweet. We went and got her shots right away and brought her home last night! And so the joy begins!!

Surprise!

A Year in Review: 2006

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year! It seems crazy to be saying that already, but it appears the calendar says it's that time of year. 2006 has flown by. I'm not ready for 2007! We have had a great year full of many, many changes! God has been faithful (is anyone surprised?) and we have learned to be patient and wait on his timing.

The beginning of 2006 brought with it the winds of change. By summer time we had experienced the change of a new job, a new house, our car being stolen & many travels. I will try to highlight them for you!

January: A quiet start to the new year & the birth of our new niece, Avery (below with sister Faith).

February: I went to visit Avery in Virginia for a short weekend. She sure is beautiful! Annual Jacobson ski weekend in Vail & Core Knowledge Conference were up next (back to back). The trip to San Antonio was fabulous and included lots of eating along the Riverwalk!













March: Spring Break trip to Virginia. Everyone now has Crocs! (minus Avery, but she'll get hers soon, I'm sure!)
March also brought major discussions about purchasing Joel's childhood home from his mother, securing a loan & talk of a new job at the school where his mom actually works (D'Evelyn Jr/Sr High School).



















April: A closing date for the sale of Rhonda's home is set for the end of May. The planning for fixing it up begins! Joel headed off to Las Vegas for a weekend with his brother! We also learned that Joel is invited to work at D'Evelyn!



























May: On Mother's Day our car was stolen & found all within about 24 hours. God really protected us both physically & financially through this whole process. You can visit the blog entry "Car Violation" to see pictures. It is all fixed now & running smoothly.

We sure do love to cram everything into the last week of school! Two years ago it was our wedding, this year, the purchase of our home!
The day after school got out we both traveled to Vegas to visit with Joel's brother & his family (Charis & Arden above and Tobin on the right) and to celebrate our SECOND anniversary! We had a great time visiting with them & staying overnight at "Treasure Island".















June & July: Much of these two months are a blur. The first two weeks of June we helped Rhonda clean up & move out of her home and worked on projects to get ready to move ourselves. We moved in on June 29 and my mom & dad came June 30. We were very grateful for their help with MANY projects. Somewhere in June we also had a great time camping with our friends Garrett, Jordan (above) and their two dogs, Glacier & Arya. It was much needed resting time for us! Check out the blog entries below for pictures of our house projects!

At the end of July my sister, Aimee & her husband Gary came for a visit. They left their two kids in the care of my parents "Oma & Opa" (Grandma & Grandpa in German). We had a great time for the three days they were here.

August: In August, I went to Wisconsin to be with my sister & family while Joel stayed in Colorado for a while. Gary was in Wisconsin, but busy working, so Aimee & I had a great time traveling to Rockford to visit with family & get in good "sister time". At the end of the week, Joel flew in & we all went on a true vacation. We rented a house up by my parents sailboat, so we could go out on Lake Michigan. It was a great trip! You can visit the blog entry "Family Reunion" to see more pictures.

September: At the beginning of September we went to Wyoming with Joel's mom for a Jacobson family reunion. We had a great time visiting with family members we don't see often. It was also a nice break from the daily grind of school. OK, so it was the first week of school, but everyone needs a break, right?!

We learned how busy our new life was with Joel driving 30+ minutes each way to work every day & with a new load of preps. He teaches High School English to Freshman & Juniors and it is a very academic school. He stays late most days & brings work home.

I am still working at Lincoln Academy & am the Instructional Coach (I work with teachers) and the Enrichment Director (I worked with gifted/advanced students). We both love where we work!

October: In October I went to Albuquerque to visit my friend Jeni (you can see a post on that below--Albuquerque) and Joel went with his mother to Buffalo, WY. His dad is buried there & it has been six years since he passed away. It was an emotional & encouraging weekend for both of us!

My parents came at the end of October and we cleaned out the garage! Miracle of Miracles! We love it!

November: My favorite season of all! We have so much to be thankful for, including the joy of adding a new niece to the Jacobson family in March! The first three weeks of November were very busy with church obligations, work commitments and of course, Bronco football! Joel was able to go to the Chargers/Broncos game (disappointing, but fun).

Thanksgiving brought with it much needed rest & a great visit with Joel's brother and family. We had beautiful weather, so we were able to get outside a few times. Joel, Ted & their mom went skiing one day!

December: December holds another great season for us--the birth of our Savior. Our Christmas tree is up and we are eagerly awaiting another vacation and time of rest. We look forward to visiting with my parents--they will be here for a ski week the first week of January!

We would love to hear from you! Our guest room is all set up now and we would love to have you come through Denver for a visit, too. Colorado is beautiful all year round & we don't get nearly as much snow as the news would lead you to believe!

With much love,
Joel & Sarah

PS I update our blog fairly regularly, so check back throughout the year for updates!

Let it Snow!

In the past 24 hours it has snowed about 6 inches here in our little city. (This picture is of our mailbox piled with snow) We love the snow, but we love it even more when it brings with it a snow day for school. But, no such luck for us. Just cold weather came with this storm--2 degrees overnight tonight. Joel has shoveled the walk 2x--once last night and once this AM, probably before most of you were out of your warm bed! :) The snow sure is beautiful & is a great visual reminder of what God has done for us--washed as clean as snow with salvation by grace through faith alone. Can you tell I've been reading Romans?

It is a big mess here around Denver--lots of accidents and slip-sliding on the roads! But, despite how the news likes to make it look, it doesn't really snow all that often here in Denver. It snows a lot in the mountains, but not in town! More snow is on the way for Saturday...

Check back in a few days for our "electronic" Christmas letter!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

The last page of my May 2005-May 2006 scrapbook included a few of our favorite things about moving from an apartment to a house, so I decided to include them in my blog. We have enjoyed the things we looked forward to even more than we thought! Here they are in no particular order (with pictures):

1. Having a king size bed! (and having the room for it!)










2. Two separate offices--it makes our marriage work!


















3. Garage!!!!!!!! How did we ever live without one???










4. Trash cans right inside our garage instead of 1/2 block away










5. Great neighbors (no pictures--I thought they might think me strange if I started taking pictures of their houses)

6. Being right where God wants us to be.

In the Process...

Since my parents were here, I have been motivated to work on house projects again. It seems that my motivation sways from scrapbooking (my first love) to house projects (becoming my second love). I'm praying my third "love" will kick in next year--gardening. No such motivation in that area right now. So last weekend I worked on painting the guest room. Previously it had been the "knitting room" & had been used for crafts & office space. The carpet is in good shape, although it is bright green. The bathroom is also very nice-- already painted, new flooring, toilet, mirror & light fixture! So, I set about the task of painting the guest room. My parents had already pushed everything to the center of the room, so that made it a bit easier. You can see the color-barely. It's a nice green. It's very light during the day & it warms up in the evening. I like it! It looks nice with the comforter & new ceiling fan. My mom & I also finished the curtains for room, too. I hope to finish before Thanksgiving!