Baby Greens...

My last week of freedom before my job starts is slipping away quickly! We spent last week painting furniture for the nursery. Nursery...wow. I even went back to my stagecraft days and installed new hardware for the furniture--which involved drilling new holes and spackling. I was very proud of me! Anyway, it was a lot of fun, and turned out okay. We picked the linens from Walmart.com, and kind of went from there. The paint is a bright green, but very cheerful and matches well. Of course, it is also gender-neutral--very important to my C.C., and practical too, as we have no idea who's going to be entering our lives! We also got to see ScottyMo and meet Kristina. Much happiness from that!

Erin and Molly visited this weekend, lots of rounds of Pitch and many garage sales visited. You really have to get out EARLY to find anything even remotely worth it. No sleeping in for us this weekend, but I need to train myself back into getting up early again, anyway. We've found some great toys and books, and also a little bit of clothes--we don't want to go overboard, but want to have some stuff in a range of sizes. The agency has four hours to place kids, and often they come with very little, so we want to be prepared. We have our first class tomorrow night--we're so excited!!! I will update again when we've learned something...Can't wait to hear how everyone else's life is going! Check out our nursery pics:

paintin'... Paint Monster Attacks! All done! Toys! Note the lovely new hardware!

An East Coast Birdie Reminded Me...

That it's been a damn long time since I've posted. Sorry. I've chatted with (or seen) some of you, but I've been in a bit of a funk. It was really hard to find a job, especially a non-profit job, when I had little (paid) experience. This led me not to want to post because I felt sort of "failure-ish." Basically, I just felt like nothing had changed...and what's interesting about that?

Now, however, things have changed. I feel better about myself, and I am ready to update the world--or at least those of you who care. So, in order...

1. JOB--I have accepted a position as an insurance adjuster--provided I make it through training and pass a test. It pays well, and I think it could be fun. Plus, I'm still helping people in a way. I'm thinking of myself as an "insurance detective." I think this is a far more interesting title--business cards forthcoming :) I start training on April 2nd, and am REALLY enjoying my time off, as I know it is dwindling quickly.

2. FAMILY--Things seem to be going well in our families. Dad has officially retired, so now of course he's looking for more to do. Mom was recently honored as the Kansas Distinguished Recreation Professional of the Year--those of you who were present for the New Years Day squirt gun fight of '01 might wonder if "distinguished" applies to her style of recreation, but it was an honor she clearly deserved. Sara has moved from "inquirer" status to "candidate" in her path toward Presbyterian Ministry--we were all there to cheer her on, as were several members of our church. It was a very moving experience--I'm incredibly proud of her. In other family milestones, Brother and Sister-out-law John and Barbie delivered an incredibly beautiful Carsyn in late December. (Check out my myspace for cute pics.) Also, brother and sister outlaws Pat and Chris will be ushering another one into the world in July. Ahh, babies. I love em...which was the final stepping stone into a much pondered (a year or more) and discussed decision:

3. KIDDOS--We have decided to become foster parents! It's something my love has wanted to do forever, and we finally decided to take the plunge. We begin our 3o hrs of classes at the end of the month, and then go through state licensing...But we're going to be turning our spare room into a nursery. We think we'll start with little ones--I am so NOT ready to parent a 15 year old--I'm not even quite recovered from teaching them! We even went online to Walmart and registered...basically so we could remember what we want and need as the time becomes appropriate to buy stuff. But it was SO MUCH FUN!!!! We'll also be going to garage sales a lot. How can you not around here? Anyway, we're excited...

4. FRIENDS--Scotty Mo and Kristina are coming for a visit! So excited about that! Also, three weddings this summer--can't wait! If you're a fan of Mr. Michael Swickard, check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eqtJaRcZt0. He's Charlie Brown. I haven't seen him perform in a long time, so I was excited to see this! You can't see him really well, but you can hear his beautiful voice!

I guess that's it in the way of big news. I have been "blog-stalking" those of you who post--thank you for the diversions from job hunting. I'm glad to see that things are going well for you--so many big and exciting things coming up for all of you! We'd love a visit from you out-of-towners...and will keep you updated (better, I promise) in the future.