This is in front of Austin Park, where I looked around at their "Art in the Park" in Oak Park. I am giving a "kiss" to Frank Lloyd Wright. I know, I know, he has creepy hollow eyes.
I am sewing a pair of capris right now. This is my first really big project and only my third sewing project, so I was slightly nervous...but it's going better than I imagined it would. It is on hold for the moment because I forgot to buy interfacing when I was buying the other fabric. I will post pictures when I finish them.We had a really fun Memorial Day weekend. Our friend, Kerin, from Ohio (although she is attending grad school in Indiana at the moment) came up for the weekend to visit. She stayed with Tim and Christina. Tim, Noah, and I stayed Sunday through Monday at Tim & Christina's as well. It was so great to spend that time together. You realize in college, and afterwards, how much your friends become your family away from family because they are closer geographically, making them more accesible. Anyways, we spent some time watching the sunset, making meals together, playing games, watching "The Holiday" and a few episodes of "The Office", and the best part: watching Kerin and our friend, Unty, start a new relationship with each other. I think the matchmaking is going to work this time around. Our friends are also so helpful with Noah. It was so normal to see Tim A. playing/wrestling/tickling him as we cleaned up from dinner, or to look out the kitchen window and see Kerin exploring with him outdoors. Monday morning Christina told Tim and I to go take a walk and she would watch Noah for us. This allowed us the opportunity to go walk around our old neighborhood (Tim & Christina are around the corner and down the street from it.) We stopped and visited with our old neighbors and even walked down to visit the family that we gave our old dog, Pippin, too. He is a fattie now! He was on steroids for his allergies and then they found out he has a thyroid problem. He is probably twice as big as the last time we saw him. He is being so loved, though. The couple's daughter and her family just moved back from The Netherlands and it sounds as if they are actually going to be taking Pippin with them when they move to Buffalo, New York. They have 2 young girls and a son and the kids are in love with Pippin. Although it was kind of sad to see him again, especially since he still remembered us, it warms my heart to know he is being so well cared for and spoiled!
We spent Monday evening barbecuing with our small group from church. That was also quite fun. Matt & Stephani's daughter, Emma, was at her grandparents' for the night and Noah went to sleep soon after we arrived over there, so it was a quiet evening. We actually had conversations that were uninterrupted!
Matt, Stephani & Emma are actually going to be vacationing with us at Tim's parents' house in Ohio next month. My in-laws will be in California and invited us to come down and use the house and bring friends if we wanted to. So we'll all pile into our new mini-van and head down to Lake Mohawk. We're all excited for it and I think we're going to try to visit the Cleveland Zoo at some point.
There are days like today where I miss our house, or living in a house. It was a warm and partly sunny day and I would have done just about anything to have a backyard that I could take Noah out to play in. I wish I was able to set up a little kiddie pool for him so he could play in that. However, I don't regret selling the house or moving out to Muskegon (even if it has come with some challenging times.) I am so thankful that we could take the profit and pay off the student loans and be DEBT FREE! That is better to me than a house. We are no longer slaves to the lender. Tim and I realized that we have Quicken on our computer (we're quick, I know) and so we sat down tonight and put all our budget into it. We financially started getting some things squared away and feel good and peaceful about where we are at. I think there are going to be some exciting things in our future.
My dream job was posted last week. It was for the director of Alpha Women's Center. I have wanted this job since my friend, Kelly, had it after we graduated. I talked on the phone with her about it, seeked counsel from a couple other friends and my husband, and did LOTS of praying about it. After all this I realized that, when it comes down to it, I still don't want to work until Noah is in school. I really can't stand the thought of someone else raising him if it doesn't have to be that way. It was also reassuring to hear Kelly say that there happens to be high turnover for that position and it should be up again by the time Noah enters school. It is weird to see how kids can change you. I would have done anything to have my dream job 2 years ago. Now I realize that my family is my dream for the moment, especially as Noah is entering the outskirts of the "terrible twos" and has started whining and throwing temper tantrums. I want to be the one to discipline and teach him throughout the day and to have consistency in his life. I probably sound old fashioned, but I don't care. I don't want his first memories to be of someone else spending his days with him. I am glad I saw the posting, though, because for so long now I have been asking God what I should do career-wise in my life someday and the intensity and fire I felt when I saw the posting alerted me that this is it. I want to be the director of a pregnancy center. For now, I can work on my hobbies: sewing, knitting, crocheting, etc. while having the joys of being home with Noah!
Rachel and John came out to visit me and Noah last week. We took the boys to the Lake for a picnic. We had a hard time keeping them our of the water. After bringing them back up to the blanket, we turned around to find them escaping again!
Tim and I took Noah out to the lake one night last week. Noah seriously LOVES water. We have to hold him back because he pretty much wants to throw himself into it. He belly laughs harder than I have ever heard when he is in the lake.
I babysat Emma for a couple hours one morning last week. There is a sandbox and a little play area at our apartment complex, so we played with sand for a little bit.
This is our sunset picture: Tim, Christina, Unty, Kerin, Me, Noah and Tim
Me, Kerin & Christina in our portrayal of Charlie's Angels. I didn't realize we were supposed to do serious faces.
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