Friends, we got moved this weekend. I am so thankful that the move is behind us and we're in our new apartment! We had lots of help on Saturday morning, and we worked from about 9:00-3:00. Wait, who am I kidding? I have to be honest- I did very little "work." I mainly supervised, picked up random odds and ends that were left, and went to get pizza for lunch. We're so grateful for all of the help that we had! The part that I hate the most about moving is those random odds and ends that are left over after you're done packing boxes- you know those things that just don't really have a place? And you've been wondering what to do with them every time you look at them? I tried to get rid of as many of them as possible or find a place for them, so hopefully we won't have as big of an issue in our new apartment. But we'll see!
We learned that our new apartment doesn't have a dishwasher or garbage disposal. While this is by no means a complaint, you realize that for people as cleanliness-handicapped as Josh and me, this could pose a small but significant problem at times. We're trying to get in the habit even now of washing dishes AS SOON as we're done with them so we don't get overwhelmed with piles and piles of crusty dishes. So far so good. We're taking it a day at a time.
We got carry-out last night and ate it on our porch, admiring the view of the trees and enjoying the quiet. I tried to convince Josh to get carry-out from that Chinese restaurant called "China" (if you will remember a post from a long time ago), but he is convinced that they serve sub-par food there and won't hear of it. Maybe the unoriginality of the name is somewhat of a turnoff for him.
I want to mention that I am officially unaddicted to Diet Coke. All of you Covenant College readers, I know that you're shocked into a stunned silence right now. A glass or can of Diet Coke was practically glued to my hand during my 4 years there. Yeesh, I can't tell you how many all-nighters were survived only by the IV of Diet Coke pumping into my veins. That drink basically empowered all of my college studies. I actually owe it a lot. It's not like I kicked the habit when I graduated either. I went from staying up all hours of the night to having a personal training job which started at 5:00 each morning. Throw in the fact that Josh and I usually talked on the phone until 11:30 or 12:00 (or later) and you have yourself the perfect conditions for a continued Diet Coke dependency. I decided last spring that I drank too much Diet Coke and either I was going to end up with massive amounts of disease or my teeth were going to fall out from the carbonation. I vowed to myself and my friends that I would give it up by the time Josh and I got married. But that time came around, and my friend Angela convinced me that the change of marriage would be enough, and I shouldn't make it harder on myself by kicking my Diet Coke crutch to the curb at the same time. Good point, I said. So I said I'd give it up by the end of our honeymoon. Then it became by the time Josh started his job at Redeemer. After that, the abandonment began. I very slowly started discovering the joys of oher drinks, such as regular Cherry Coke (what's up, Kel??), tea, water, etc. Then we found out about Baby Desch and even though there isn't any conclusive proof that aspartame causes any birth problems, we didn't want Baby Desch to accidentally grow 3 arms or something, so I don't drink it very often anymore! I can't believe I've come so far. So for all of you who thought I had a lifelong condition, rejoice with me. And Diet Coke, I salute you. Thanks for about 5 solid years.
Thanks to everyone who helped with our move by actually being there, or keeping us in your thoughts. We're so grateful that it's over!! Pictures are coming!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
Moving Makes For Some Interesting Cooking
We're definitely in limbo right now, with half of our stuff at our new apartment and half still at the old. This became rather funny last night when we tried to make dinner. We took some chicken out of the freezer to thaw so we could make Chicken Divan, and we had all of the other ingredients. I got home from work and we needed to get dinner done in a hurry, so we set right to work. The first obstacle I came across was that we had moved the chicken cutting board to the other apartment. Josh would tell you that I'm very obsessive about chicken cleanliness. Chicken has its own cutting board that we use and then proceed to thoroughly wash with steaming water and finish off in the dishwasher. But thankfully the only cutting board we hadn't moved was one of those glassy kinds that doesn't absorb stuff like wood or plastic, so I used it and then promptly burned the skin off of my hands washing it, only then to put it in the dishwasher. I don't know why I'm this way. I just am. So then the chicken was ready to be cooked in a skillet, but alas, we had already moved the canola oil. Hmm. I went scavenging in the fridge and found some old butter that we used to grease bread pans and put that in. Then the chicken was happily cooking. I was looking for something to push the chicken around with in the pan, and all of our spatulas were gone. Hmm. You have to use something plastic on the pan instead of metal, so we found a little plastic spoon and used that. You can see that this meal is becoming rather makeshift. Then I realized that we had no measuring cups. I have a bajillion measuring cups, and every one of them had already been moved. Well, this called for some eyeballing. I needed a cup of water and a cup and a half of rice. I found a bowl that I knew held 2 cups and filled it up half-way for the water and just dumped the rest of the box of rice in, since there wasn't that much in there anyway. It turned out! We liked it a lot. Yum.
The weather looks good for moving our furniture tomorrow, and we're so thankful. We'll be happy to just be in one place again and not having everything spread out between two different places.
Have a great weekend!
The weather looks good for moving our furniture tomorrow, and we're so thankful. We'll be happy to just be in one place again and not having everything spread out between two different places.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Wanted: Fork Owner
Look closely. Do you recognize this fork?
A few weeks ago we found this fork lurking in our silverware drawer, and we have no idea where it came from or how long it's been there. It doesn't look anything like our silverware, and I don't know how it got into our drawer. Does it look familiar to anyone? Josh is convinced that this fork is some kind of bug planted in our house to spy on us. He is quite afraid of the fork. It's honestly made me feel uneasy about this fork. How does a fork just show up in your drawer and you have no idea how it got there? Our current plan is to leave it for the next occupants of our apartment if no one steps up to claim it. We're going to hide it somewhere and let them find it. Then they can be freaked out by the fork with no origin. Maybe we just watch too many scary movies. I actually think this would be a hit on the big screen with scary movies becoming so unoriginal these days. Don't you feel like every scary movie is just a variation on one you've seen before? How many times have you seen a movie about a spy/killer fork?
If this fork is your's or belongs to someone you know, speak now, or forever hold your peace. We're not moving this fork to our new apartment. We don't want it possessing our new drawers and listening in to our conversations and watching Baby Desch through a crack.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Lamaze Graduates
Well, Folks, it's official. Josh and I are graduates of our Childbirth Education class. During our last class we learned about induced labor, cesarean sections, and infant care. Our teacher passed out a baby doll to each couple and we practiced swaddling our babies, which is supposedly a comfort measure for infants right after they're born, burping our babies, diapering our babies, and bathing our babies. It was fun! I look back over our 6 week crash course with misty eyes. Josh got to try on a sympathy belly that weighed 30 pounds so he would know how it felt to be carrying a baby close to term. We learned about every stage of labor. We practiced breathing and relaxation techniques. We got seriously grossed out by an epidural video (needles just shouldn't be allowed to be that long...). We also got seriously grossed out by the skin retractors used to stretch the incision cut to get the baby out during a C-section. We learned when you should go to the hospital once labor starts and what to expect once you get there. This was definitely a valuable class, and I'm really glad that we went!
One of the most useful things that I will take away from the class was one way that we practiced a labor contraction. Our teacher, Debby, gave us all a cup of ice. We had been practicing contractions with good breathing and coaching from our coach while Debby counted. This time Debby told us to pick up a handful of ice and then go through the same contraction pattern, practicing good breathing and focusing. Squeezing the ice in my hand and trying to focus on a focal point away from the sensation was hard!! Debby told us it was good practice for labor because this exercise taught us that the sensation isn't bad. It's not harmful- you're not going to lose a limb or brain cells because your hand is cold. That's the same idea with labor. The pain of labor is not harmful and so it's best to not fight against it, since it's doing necessary work. You just have to focus somewhere away from the sensation, thus, practicing holding a handful of ice for a minute. That actually is pretty tough, at least, it was for me.
We went to the Pizza Joint for dinner last night to celebrate our 10 month anniversary! It was wonderful. We love the Pizza Joint. It's right down the street from our house. We get 3 pieces of pizza and that does the trick! You have to understand that these pieces are like half the size of a basketball. They are so big. One person couldn't eat much more than 2 pieces unless you're Rambo or something. One weekend last month Mr. and Mrs. Desch were in town and we decided we wanted to get a pizza from Pizza Joint. Josh and Mr. Desch went to get the pizza while Mrs. Desch and I hung out at our apartment, and they returned with what I swear was the biggest pizza I have ever seen. I didn't know they made pizza boxes that big. I'm not sure how Josh a. fit it in the car and b. fit it through our door. This thing was amazing. We have a pretty big circular table that seats 6, but we didn't even attempt to put this box on the table and sit there too. Oof. If any of you are ever in town, we'll get that monster again so you too can marvel at its sheer size. And then enjoy its goodness.
I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch and really enjoyed it. I think I was taken back to the days of packed school lunches. I don't know about your mom, but my mom bought that really thin, kind of gross bread, and then gross old grape jelly. The jelly always soaked through the bread before lunchtime, so you had a soggy, floppy sandwich whose bread was nearly absorbed into the middle. I'm wondering what kind of experience Josh had with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because he will NOT eat them under any circumstances. It's interesting because Josh basically lives on bread and peanut butter, but he will NEVER put any jelly on. He once told me that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is what Satan packs in his children's lunches. That's pretty bad! But peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have been reborn for me because we don't buy that gross floppy bread and I also never buy grape jelly that leaks through the bread. Peanut butter with apricot or cherry jam on real bread is so yummy!! So I definitely enjoyed that for lunch.
We send you much love from Georgia!
One of the most useful things that I will take away from the class was one way that we practiced a labor contraction. Our teacher, Debby, gave us all a cup of ice. We had been practicing contractions with good breathing and coaching from our coach while Debby counted. This time Debby told us to pick up a handful of ice and then go through the same contraction pattern, practicing good breathing and focusing. Squeezing the ice in my hand and trying to focus on a focal point away from the sensation was hard!! Debby told us it was good practice for labor because this exercise taught us that the sensation isn't bad. It's not harmful- you're not going to lose a limb or brain cells because your hand is cold. That's the same idea with labor. The pain of labor is not harmful and so it's best to not fight against it, since it's doing necessary work. You just have to focus somewhere away from the sensation, thus, practicing holding a handful of ice for a minute. That actually is pretty tough, at least, it was for me.
We went to the Pizza Joint for dinner last night to celebrate our 10 month anniversary! It was wonderful. We love the Pizza Joint. It's right down the street from our house. We get 3 pieces of pizza and that does the trick! You have to understand that these pieces are like half the size of a basketball. They are so big. One person couldn't eat much more than 2 pieces unless you're Rambo or something. One weekend last month Mr. and Mrs. Desch were in town and we decided we wanted to get a pizza from Pizza Joint. Josh and Mr. Desch went to get the pizza while Mrs. Desch and I hung out at our apartment, and they returned with what I swear was the biggest pizza I have ever seen. I didn't know they made pizza boxes that big. I'm not sure how Josh a. fit it in the car and b. fit it through our door. This thing was amazing. We have a pretty big circular table that seats 6, but we didn't even attempt to put this box on the table and sit there too. Oof. If any of you are ever in town, we'll get that monster again so you too can marvel at its sheer size. And then enjoy its goodness.
I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch and really enjoyed it. I think I was taken back to the days of packed school lunches. I don't know about your mom, but my mom bought that really thin, kind of gross bread, and then gross old grape jelly. The jelly always soaked through the bread before lunchtime, so you had a soggy, floppy sandwich whose bread was nearly absorbed into the middle. I'm wondering what kind of experience Josh had with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because he will NOT eat them under any circumstances. It's interesting because Josh basically lives on bread and peanut butter, but he will NEVER put any jelly on. He once told me that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is what Satan packs in his children's lunches. That's pretty bad! But peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have been reborn for me because we don't buy that gross floppy bread and I also never buy grape jelly that leaks through the bread. Peanut butter with apricot or cherry jam on real bread is so yummy!! So I definitely enjoyed that for lunch.
We send you much love from Georgia!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Taco Kits & Other Things
Has anyone here ever eaten a taco kit? We had one yesterday and finished it today, and it was amazing. I love taco kits. I've decided I'm a big fan and will ensure that one is in our pantry at all times from here on out. I think the phrase "taco kit" is really funny. Everything you need for a successful taco lunch or dinner. I think anything you can keep on hand in your pantry to make cooking a little bit easier (and thus more probable to be done) is nice.
Josh had softball practice last night and came back hurting. It was pretty sad. He practiced fielding as 3rd baseman, which is where he'll probably play most of the season, and then they practiced batting. He came back holding his side and told me he'd pulled a muscle swinging the bat. I told him that was pathetic. The church softball team is so funny. There's always someone limping from a bum knee, twisted ankle, etc. That's what happens when you get mostly middle-aged men who don't do much physical activity out sprinting between bases. There's bound to be some injuries.
Josh will have softball games every Monday and Thursday now for several weeks. He played in the fall, and I remember thinking, "You've GOT to be kidding me!!" when he came home with the schedule. They were playing every Tuesday and Thursday for about 6 or 7 weeks. Yeesh, I thought. What a time commitment!! Who do these people think we are?? But toward the end of the season I was the one telling Josh I wanted to go even when he was tired and didn't want to play. They are sooo fun!! It's just a blast sitting in the stands, chatting with the other fans, and cheering our team on. The team only won 1 game in the fall, but I guess that gives a lot of room for improvement...
Our Lamaze class ends tonight, and then we're officially graduates. Tonight our teacher is going to get out the baby dolls and let the coaches practice putting on diapers. It seems like that's something that most of the coaches haven't done very often. I'm so glad that we went to the class- we both learned so much. But it will definitely be good to have our Tuesday nights back again.
Josh had softball practice last night and came back hurting. It was pretty sad. He practiced fielding as 3rd baseman, which is where he'll probably play most of the season, and then they practiced batting. He came back holding his side and told me he'd pulled a muscle swinging the bat. I told him that was pathetic. The church softball team is so funny. There's always someone limping from a bum knee, twisted ankle, etc. That's what happens when you get mostly middle-aged men who don't do much physical activity out sprinting between bases. There's bound to be some injuries.
Josh will have softball games every Monday and Thursday now for several weeks. He played in the fall, and I remember thinking, "You've GOT to be kidding me!!" when he came home with the schedule. They were playing every Tuesday and Thursday for about 6 or 7 weeks. Yeesh, I thought. What a time commitment!! Who do these people think we are?? But toward the end of the season I was the one telling Josh I wanted to go even when he was tired and didn't want to play. They are sooo fun!! It's just a blast sitting in the stands, chatting with the other fans, and cheering our team on. The team only won 1 game in the fall, but I guess that gives a lot of room for improvement...
Our Lamaze class ends tonight, and then we're officially graduates. Tonight our teacher is going to get out the baby dolls and let the coaches practice putting on diapers. It seems like that's something that most of the coaches haven't done very often. I'm so glad that we went to the class- we both learned so much. But it will definitely be good to have our Tuesday nights back again.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Monday Madness
Josh and I had a very good, very exhausting weekend! We had about 20 kids show up for the retreat on Friday night, and we all had a great time. We left for a YMCA camp about 20 minutes from the church on Friday night and got back in time for church on Sunday. We both felt really good about it as we got back- it seems like the youth both enjoyed it and learned a lot. Friday night we got to the camp, unpacked, had praise & worship time led by our friends Laura Susan and Springer, Josh taught a lesson, and then we played Manhunt. That was really fun. I found one of the youth, a 13 year old boy, laying facedown in sand on the beach right next to a canoe. I was thinking that he must take this way too seriously- who would willingly lay face down in really nasty sand for several minutes to avoid getting tagged with a flashlight? And to top it all off, when he got up it was discovered that he had been laying on an ant pile. Oops. Gotta love those arms covered with ant bites!! We woke up Saturday morning, had breakfast, heard a lesson from Martin, hung around for a while, had lunch, played tons of silly outdoor games, sat around, had a cookout, heard another lesson from Martin, had a bonfire, and went to bed. Sunday morning we got up for pancakes, heard a lesson from Josh, and went to church. It ended up being a lot of fun, and we had plenty of help from parents and folks in our small group, which was just so important.
Here are some stories that were funny. One of the kids brought a friend with him who doesn't normally come to our youth group. This kid was really funny. I think he was in sixth grade, and you just never know what you're going to get with the sixth graders. They're kind of a grab bag of giggling, blank stares, and just all around interesting-ness. Anyway, one of our activities on Saturday afternoon was a slip & slide. The slip & slide was covered with water and vegetable oil to make it extra slippery. Some kids were better at slipping and sliding than others, and this one in particular wasn't that great. On his first or second attempt, he took a running leap and practically planted his chest into the one section of the tarp that sat on top of a pinecone. Ouch. Then he discovered what it was like to be covered in oil. For some reason this kid REALLY liked being covered in oil. The first time he stood up and noticed that he had that vegetable oil all over the front of his body. He kept rubbing his chest and stomach and saying "This feels so weird!" He must have commented on it at least 5 times before he went again. The next time down the slip & slide, he came to a stop rather quickly and started wallowing in the water/oil like a pig wallows in the mud. He continued to rub the oil all over his chest and talk about how weird it felt. I thought that someone needs to give this kid a day at the spa complete with an oily massage. He gave us all a good laugh.
This camp was right on the lake, and all of us would have gone swimming had it been warmer, but only a brave few went in this weekend. Most of them were middle school boys, mind you. I loved hearing one after a few minutes say "I can't feel my legs." Why the heck are you out there?? After getting out one boy was sitting on one of the picnic benches, hanging out in his wet shorts like it was a hot day at the beach, but the fact that his lips were seriously blue and he had goosebumps all up and down his arms told you the truth. I love middle school boys. What possesses them to do the things they do? They will always be a mystery to me. We finally made the blue-lipped boy go take a warm shower before falling prey to hypothermia.
We told some ghost stories around the bonfire on Saturday night, and those always manage to freak me out just a little. Especially when one of the kids talked about someone getting kidnapped from a camp by a murderer. Oof, that one sticks with you. I always just say that those are all made up and make it OK again in my little mind.
Josh has softball practice tonight- the season is getting cranked up in the next few weeks. I think he'll be playing 3rd base this season. We are having a huge conflict of interest because 24 is on Monday nights at 9:00, and Josh will have games every Monday and Thursday night for a couple of months. AHH!!! What do we DO?? This is serious. He might just have to fake injuries every Monday night, get taken out of the game, sneak out of the dugout, and high-tail it to the car. Our Monday nights are currently built around this show, so we're having some problems.
We were so thankful for the good weekend. The weather was beautiful! I'm convinced that spring is here to stay.
Have a great night!
Here are some stories that were funny. One of the kids brought a friend with him who doesn't normally come to our youth group. This kid was really funny. I think he was in sixth grade, and you just never know what you're going to get with the sixth graders. They're kind of a grab bag of giggling, blank stares, and just all around interesting-ness. Anyway, one of our activities on Saturday afternoon was a slip & slide. The slip & slide was covered with water and vegetable oil to make it extra slippery. Some kids were better at slipping and sliding than others, and this one in particular wasn't that great. On his first or second attempt, he took a running leap and practically planted his chest into the one section of the tarp that sat on top of a pinecone. Ouch. Then he discovered what it was like to be covered in oil. For some reason this kid REALLY liked being covered in oil. The first time he stood up and noticed that he had that vegetable oil all over the front of his body. He kept rubbing his chest and stomach and saying "This feels so weird!" He must have commented on it at least 5 times before he went again. The next time down the slip & slide, he came to a stop rather quickly and started wallowing in the water/oil like a pig wallows in the mud. He continued to rub the oil all over his chest and talk about how weird it felt. I thought that someone needs to give this kid a day at the spa complete with an oily massage. He gave us all a good laugh.
This camp was right on the lake, and all of us would have gone swimming had it been warmer, but only a brave few went in this weekend. Most of them were middle school boys, mind you. I loved hearing one after a few minutes say "I can't feel my legs." Why the heck are you out there?? After getting out one boy was sitting on one of the picnic benches, hanging out in his wet shorts like it was a hot day at the beach, but the fact that his lips were seriously blue and he had goosebumps all up and down his arms told you the truth. I love middle school boys. What possesses them to do the things they do? They will always be a mystery to me. We finally made the blue-lipped boy go take a warm shower before falling prey to hypothermia.
We told some ghost stories around the bonfire on Saturday night, and those always manage to freak me out just a little. Especially when one of the kids talked about someone getting kidnapped from a camp by a murderer. Oof, that one sticks with you. I always just say that those are all made up and make it OK again in my little mind.
Josh has softball practice tonight- the season is getting cranked up in the next few weeks. I think he'll be playing 3rd base this season. We are having a huge conflict of interest because 24 is on Monday nights at 9:00, and Josh will have games every Monday and Thursday night for a couple of months. AHH!!! What do we DO?? This is serious. He might just have to fake injuries every Monday night, get taken out of the game, sneak out of the dugout, and high-tail it to the car. Our Monday nights are currently built around this show, so we're having some problems.
We were so thankful for the good weekend. The weather was beautiful! I'm convinced that spring is here to stay.
Have a great night!
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