So I've been catching up on reading my blogroll... and thinking some people were slacking on their postings... then I looked at the date of my last post and realized I AM THE ONE SLACKING! Holy smokes... it's like I've been grounded from my blog for the last month. Let's see... what do you need to know...
Sara and Gracelyn are doing fine. Gracelyn is still baking in the oven and things are going great. Four more months until "D-day". We've got another doctor's appointment on the 8th. Not sure what for... just another check-up I suppose.
We found out about two weeks ago that Sara's twin sister, Amy, is also pregnant! Now our daughter will have a cousin that is close to the same age. That's exciting! Too bad Sara didn't originally find it exciting. I guess the whole being a twin and competing in/over everything got old as they grew up and Sara was expecting to be the only pregnant one in the family... then along came Nate and Amy's seed. :) (Sara is doing much better with it now)
My parents have finally been approved to get their new house and land! They should be living in Birch Bay by the beginning of May! (this is a much needed move... they've been in the same dilapidated old mobile home since 1980 and it has definitely seen it's better days... I remember those days... I was about 4...)
Speaking of houses... our condo is officially on the market. If you know anyone that would like to buy a quaint, two bed, two bath, 1100 sq. foot condo in Sumas, send them our way! We've decided that with gas prices rising, and with Sara's 50 mile round-trip commute, that we'd be better off not living in Sumas. I personally don't mind the drive... not to mention the fact that I drive the more fuel efficient car ("why not switch then?", you may ask... well, we're trying to do that more often... Sara just hates driving my car). We don't think that we are going to jump right back into buying another place. We're thinking we may try to find a place with cheap rent and try to get caught up on some of our debts, like our credit cards and Sara's car. Good thing we're not at the national credit card debt level (somewhere around $8,000 per household! OUCH!). We'll see when and where God opens the door for us to buy a house (we're praying), not condo, with a yard so we can get a Boston Terrier. :)
Well, that's about all I have to say for now. I will be leading worship this week at our new church (Valley Community Church). Feel free to stop by and check the church out (if you're in the area... we meet at the senior center in Sumas at 10:00am).
Happy April Fool's Day!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
: : 95% for sure : :
We went to the OBGYN for an ultrasound on Monday. Here's what we found out:
- We were told not to take the tags off of any clothes that we are given.
- We were told that our baby is in the 59th percentile range for it's size (that's a little bigger than normal... don't blame me... well, maybe you should... after all, I was 10lbs 9oz when I was born).
- We were told that everything looks good and normal and that our baby appears to be healthy.
- We were told that (and he's 95% sure) that we're having a GIRL. :) (Cassie, your dream must have been a premonition... or something like that...)
Here's the latest ultrasound picture.
Have a blessed day! :)
- We were told not to take the tags off of any clothes that we are given.
- We were told that our baby is in the 59th percentile range for it's size (that's a little bigger than normal... don't blame me... well, maybe you should... after all, I was 10lbs 9oz when I was born).
- We were told that everything looks good and normal and that our baby appears to be healthy.
- We were told that (and he's 95% sure) that we're having a GIRL. :) (Cassie, your dream must have been a premonition... or something like that...)
Here's the latest ultrasound picture.
Have a blessed day! :)
Thursday, February 21, 2008
: : wrap up : :
With wrestling season now over (for those that didn't know, I was a volunteer coach at my alma matter, Lynden High School), I thought I'd reflect on the season and the things I learned throughout the season.
1) I still love wrestling and being able to share my passion for the sport to young, moldable minds. (Maybe I should be a teacher! Ummmm... maybe not) It's great watching kids that have never wrestled struggle at the beginning of the season... and then seeing their light go off when they finally start to get it.
2) Time moves fast. Prime example: my first year as a paid coach was in 2004. I was an assistant coach for the Lynden Middle School team. The boys that were in 7th grade when I coached that first year, are now seniors. It's sad to say that only two of them remained on the team... but they were the strength of our team this year. They both made it to state this year, with one placing 6th and the other losing a tough match in the 3rd round to get knocked out of the tournament. Anyways..l all that to say that I coached these boys/young men at the beginning of their school careers, and it was really cool to be able to watch them succeed in their final year.
3) Making a time commitment like coaching, was a lot easier when I was single and didn't have a wife to take care of and be with. I'm sure it will only be more difficult next year when I have a little four month old baby at the beginning of the season.
4) I'm not as young as I used to be, and definitely not NEARLY in as good of shape. I found this out while wrestling at the "Geezer Classic" in December. To put it simply... I got whooped.
5) It makes me so happy to see what our head coach is doing with the wrestling program. He has turned it around from being a program that was lucky to have 10 kids, to a program that is now a force to be reckoned with... (on a good night) and is growing back to the way it was in the late 80's/early 90's.
6) We're lucky to have the coaches we did this season. All total, with volunteer and paid coaches, there were eight of us. Some of the bigger schools, like Bellingham or Ferndale... only had four or five coaches. It shows that they all believe in the program that Coach Randy is building.
7) I can't wait for next season... hopefully I'll be in better shape and be able to hang in there with the guys, instead of getting winded so easily... plus I look forward to losing my fat man gut. :)
That's all I have to say for now. Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon... there may be baby news after Monday! ;)
1) I still love wrestling and being able to share my passion for the sport to young, moldable minds. (Maybe I should be a teacher! Ummmm... maybe not) It's great watching kids that have never wrestled struggle at the beginning of the season... and then seeing their light go off when they finally start to get it.
2) Time moves fast. Prime example: my first year as a paid coach was in 2004. I was an assistant coach for the Lynden Middle School team. The boys that were in 7th grade when I coached that first year, are now seniors. It's sad to say that only two of them remained on the team... but they were the strength of our team this year. They both made it to state this year, with one placing 6th and the other losing a tough match in the 3rd round to get knocked out of the tournament. Anyways..l all that to say that I coached these boys/young men at the beginning of their school careers, and it was really cool to be able to watch them succeed in their final year.
3) Making a time commitment like coaching, was a lot easier when I was single and didn't have a wife to take care of and be with. I'm sure it will only be more difficult next year when I have a little four month old baby at the beginning of the season.
4) I'm not as young as I used to be, and definitely not NEARLY in as good of shape. I found this out while wrestling at the "Geezer Classic" in December. To put it simply... I got whooped.
5) It makes me so happy to see what our head coach is doing with the wrestling program. He has turned it around from being a program that was lucky to have 10 kids, to a program that is now a force to be reckoned with... (on a good night) and is growing back to the way it was in the late 80's/early 90's.
6) We're lucky to have the coaches we did this season. All total, with volunteer and paid coaches, there were eight of us. Some of the bigger schools, like Bellingham or Ferndale... only had four or five coaches. It shows that they all believe in the program that Coach Randy is building.
7) I can't wait for next season... hopefully I'll be in better shape and be able to hang in there with the guys, instead of getting winded so easily... plus I look forward to losing my fat man gut. :)
That's all I have to say for now. Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon... there may be baby news after Monday! ;)
Friday, February 8, 2008
: : Not All It's Cracked Up To Be : :
Influenza A. It's not all that great. Well, it's not great at all. Not one part of it.
Not the 102.6 degree fever.
Not the vomitting.
Not the horrible cough.
Not the body aches.
Not the sore neck.
Not the sore throat.
Not the doctor's visit.
Not the doctor shoving a swab into my nasal cavaties.
Not my wife not being able to stay in the same room as me.
Not missing work (and subsequently, the paycheck that comes along with actually working).
I quit. I'm done with the flu. They say it only takes getting it once before you decide you never want to get it again and start getting the vaccinations. Here's to getting a prick in the arm next year before flu season.
Not the 102.6 degree fever.
Not the vomitting.
Not the horrible cough.
Not the body aches.
Not the sore neck.
Not the sore throat.
Not the doctor's visit.
Not the doctor shoving a swab into my nasal cavaties.
Not my wife not being able to stay in the same room as me.
Not missing work (and subsequently, the paycheck that comes along with actually working).
I quit. I'm done with the flu. They say it only takes getting it once before you decide you never want to get it again and start getting the vaccinations. Here's to getting a prick in the arm next year before flu season.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
: : pac-nor-west : :
The Pacific Northwest According to Jeff Foxworthy
1. You know the state flower (Mildew)
2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.
3. Use the statement "sun break" and know what it means.
4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.
5 You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.
6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.
7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" Signal.
8. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.
9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Veneto's.
10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon.
11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima and Willamette.
12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.
13. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.
14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark - while only working eight-hour days.
15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.
16. You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers."
17. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation
18. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.
19. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see
through the cloud cover.
20. You notice, "The mountain is out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.
21. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.
22. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.
23. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.
24. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists. (I truly do...)
25. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time.
26. You measure distance in hours.
27. You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in the same day.
28. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.
29. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer &Elk season (Fall).
30. You actually understood these jokes and will probably forward them! (or blog them...)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
: : whatever : :
I've lived in my condo since March of 2007. Since then, we've not had any neighbors in our building. We could be as loud as we wanted, park where we wanted, do whatever we wanted. It was a glorious nine months of solitude in our building.
Two or three weeks ago we came home to notice some lumber in our yard. "That's odd...," we thought. They must be building a fence somewhere. Hmmmm. Two days later there was a stack of concrete mix sitting on our patio. "What the heck?" we thought. The next night when we got home there were holes dug in our front yard. They spanned from one end of the building to the other and they were all of SEVEN FEET away from our patio. "Oh no they didn't!" we exclaimed! This is an outrage! How can they build a fence IN FRONT of our window without telling/asking/notifying us? So the next morning while Sara was still home before she left for work, she called our maintenance man and asked what the heck was going on...
"Well, we're putting a fence up. Why? Do you not want a fence?"
"NO! We bought this condo because it has a nice yard and a view and your fence is blocking it all."
"Well, you can still walk around the fence and enjoy the yard!"
"That's NOT what we want! Why are you putting it there anyways?"
"Your new neighbors wanted a privacy fence."
"New neighbors?"
"Yes, they're moving in tomorrow. They wouldn't buy it without the fence. I guess we could stop it before your window."
"Fine. That's good enough."
Turns out they could have stopped it one section earlier and not blocked any of our patio, but for some dumb reason, they didn't. Now a portion of my wonderful patio is blocked by a lovely (it is nice) seven foot tall cedar fence. Good thing it's not in front of my kitchen window.
These neighbors we were getting were already on our black list without ever meeting them. We expected them to move in the next day, but it turned out to be the next day of the next week. We never saw hide, nor hair of them. Just their car parked in MY SPOT. Really blacklist now.
The other night around seven o'clock, we're lounging around the house, watching TV at a normal volume and there is a knock on the door. I went and answered the door to finally meet the new neighbor. (she looked to be in her 30's)
"Hi... my name is Carrie and I just moved in next door with my mother, Myrna. I hate for our first meeting to be anything less than pleasant... but can you turn down your TV please?"
I'm a nice guy... "Yeah sure..."
"Thank you... if you ever need anything don't be afraid to ask."
What the??? My TV is too loud at 7:00pm? I could understand it if it was up at the half-way level and rattling the walls (as it usually is close to when watching movies). But we were watching "My Wife and Kids" and it wasn't even half way up!
Since then, we have not seen either of them once. I think they're hermits (maybe vampires) who are afraid of going outside. Their car sits in the same place all day, everyday. Do they go anywhere? Who knows... Do they work? Don't think so...
My thoughts turn to the title of this blog... whatever. What are they going to do? Complain to the landlord we don't have? I mean, come on lady. You bought a CONDO. You better expect to hear a neighbor every once in a while. Whatever.
We're going to try and sell our condo now. We liked the solitude and quiet. Now we have neighbors that complain about a not-very-loud TV. Being that I work for a home builder, we're going to start searching for a lot to build on.
Yippee!
Two or three weeks ago we came home to notice some lumber in our yard. "That's odd...," we thought. They must be building a fence somewhere. Hmmmm. Two days later there was a stack of concrete mix sitting on our patio. "What the heck?" we thought. The next night when we got home there were holes dug in our front yard. They spanned from one end of the building to the other and they were all of SEVEN FEET away from our patio. "Oh no they didn't!" we exclaimed! This is an outrage! How can they build a fence IN FRONT of our window without telling/asking/notifying us? So the next morning while Sara was still home before she left for work, she called our maintenance man and asked what the heck was going on...
"Well, we're putting a fence up. Why? Do you not want a fence?"
"NO! We bought this condo because it has a nice yard and a view and your fence is blocking it all."
"Well, you can still walk around the fence and enjoy the yard!"
"That's NOT what we want! Why are you putting it there anyways?"
"Your new neighbors wanted a privacy fence."
"New neighbors?"
"Yes, they're moving in tomorrow. They wouldn't buy it without the fence. I guess we could stop it before your window."
"Fine. That's good enough."
Turns out they could have stopped it one section earlier and not blocked any of our patio, but for some dumb reason, they didn't. Now a portion of my wonderful patio is blocked by a lovely (it is nice) seven foot tall cedar fence. Good thing it's not in front of my kitchen window.
These neighbors we were getting were already on our black list without ever meeting them. We expected them to move in the next day, but it turned out to be the next day of the next week. We never saw hide, nor hair of them. Just their car parked in MY SPOT. Really blacklist now.
The other night around seven o'clock, we're lounging around the house, watching TV at a normal volume and there is a knock on the door. I went and answered the door to finally meet the new neighbor. (she looked to be in her 30's)
"Hi... my name is Carrie and I just moved in next door with my mother, Myrna. I hate for our first meeting to be anything less than pleasant... but can you turn down your TV please?"
I'm a nice guy... "Yeah sure..."
"Thank you... if you ever need anything don't be afraid to ask."
What the??? My TV is too loud at 7:00pm? I could understand it if it was up at the half-way level and rattling the walls (as it usually is close to when watching movies). But we were watching "My Wife and Kids" and it wasn't even half way up!
Since then, we have not seen either of them once. I think they're hermits (maybe vampires) who are afraid of going outside. Their car sits in the same place all day, everyday. Do they go anywhere? Who knows... Do they work? Don't think so...
My thoughts turn to the title of this blog... whatever. What are they going to do? Complain to the landlord we don't have? I mean, come on lady. You bought a CONDO. You better expect to hear a neighbor every once in a while. Whatever.
We're going to try and sell our condo now. We liked the solitude and quiet. Now we have neighbors that complain about a not-very-loud TV. Being that I work for a home builder, we're going to start searching for a lot to build on.
Yippee!
Monday, January 14, 2008
scare
so there was a slight scare this weekend. I'll spare you all the details... but for those who have had a baby... there was a scare.
Sara is now at 11 1/2 weeks. 12 weeks on Wednesday... the end of the first trimester. hoorya!
well, after an unexpected/needed trip to the doctor, all is well. the heart beat was pumping away and I guess the little one was even waving to the camera, full finger flexing and all! now I wish I would have been there to see it! maybe next time it will wave at me.
anyhow... with trimester number one now being close to over, we are almost in the clear. (that's relieving) we keep praying (and would appreciate your prayers too) for a full term, healthy pregnancy and baby.
well, here's a kind of recent picture from the last ultrasound I was at from 10 weeks. enjoy. :)
Sara is now at 11 1/2 weeks. 12 weeks on Wednesday... the end of the first trimester. hoorya!
well, after an unexpected/needed trip to the doctor, all is well. the heart beat was pumping away and I guess the little one was even waving to the camera, full finger flexing and all! now I wish I would have been there to see it! maybe next time it will wave at me.
anyhow... with trimester number one now being close to over, we are almost in the clear. (that's relieving) we keep praying (and would appreciate your prayers too) for a full term, healthy pregnancy and baby.
well, here's a kind of recent picture from the last ultrasound I was at from 10 weeks. enjoy. :)
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