Jam-it, Janet!

It would be an understatement to say that Chip, Marcia, Nick and I like strawberries. In fact, when we found out that there is a pick-your-own berry farm a mere 30 minutes southwest of Columbus, it was all we could do NOT to take the rocketcar. But, with gas prices and all...



There were fields and fields of them! And the vines were LOADED! We just kept picking and picking...and managed to fill up 4 cartons with beautiful, red, sweet strawberries!!!




In all, we picked about 40 pounds of strawberries...which we subsequently turned into 2 gallons of Jam, and packages of frozen strawberries for smoothies. It was beautiful!

Quickbooks?! More like Suckbooks!!!

I have just spent the last 12 hours of my working life attempting to download my business bank account statement into Quickbooks- a process that was promised all over the box. Silly me, believing something on the box. I swear to you, I could FEEL an ulcer forming.

So, I appeal to you, loyal readers, do you know anything about Quickbooks? Anything? If so, may I abuse your knowledge and frienship? Well, at least I asked.

Our little girl's become a woman!

Over the past couple days we've realized that Maeby has, well, grown up! We'll spare you the details.



Anyway, on Friday night we had to rig up a temporary diaper in order to... well, we'll spare you more of the details.



It took Beth, Kate, Libby, and I to put the "diaper" in place. Fortunately, the brown of the towel matched Maeby's coat. Keeping our pup clean and dignified, right?

Day 1 of Super Summer Camp

Just finished my first day working the summer camp at Lifetime Fitness. Lots of fun games, lots of child wrangling, and lots of exhaustion. But I had to share three gems:

1.) One of the kids at lunch: "I don't mean to be funny, but sometimes when I sweat, it goes down my butt."

2.) Another kid at lunch: "Have you ever been to prison?"

3.) While at the pool, one 1st grader spent half an hour explaining to me the plot of a Captain Underpants book. Even when I ran off to tend to other kiddies, upon my return he would ask, "Do you want me to keep telling you the story?" How could I say no?

It's going to be an interesting summer.

674

I got a new job a few months back; I am now the General Manager and President of Paul Robinett, ltd, art gallery and world-famous candles! (www.paulrobinett.com) If you haven't received candles from me, the self-made Candle Fairy, email me and I'll hook you up.

Anyhoo- Paul IS a real guy, and a great guy. I've been having a fabulous time getting to know this multi-talented, interesting guy and am thrilled to be working with him! He emailed this link to me today, and I just had to share it. It's a video he made 2 years ago, just to see what he could do. Enjoy!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-937241900175428645

Quotes from "The Office"

Last night's episode of "The Office" was particularly hiliarious, as the characters were having office photos taken, and the complaint box was opened. We just had to share two quotes that stood out amongst all the craziness:

MICHAEL: Ryan, you told Toby that Creed has a distinct old man smell.
CREED: I know exactly what he’s talking about… I sprout mungbeans on a damp paper towel in my desk drawer. Very nutritious, but they smell like death.

AND

DWIGHT: I never smile if I can help it. Showing one’s teeth is a submission signal in primates. Once someone smiles at me, all I see is a chimpanzee begging for its life.

A Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky!

Last weekend we packed up an excited puppy and trekked down for the first time to Dan and Rebecca's home in Lexington, Kentucky. We managed to cover a lot of ground in the space of a few days, seeing everything from their home to work, school, church, and other favorite sights. The top two pictures here show us at the Keeneland Races, which wrapped up on Friday. Overall, Beth and I won a whopping $13.80, but wagered $14. So we came up 20 cents in the hole! But Dan and Rebecca introduced us to the larger culture of horse racing. Very interesting stuff!


The next picture is of Dan and Rebecca at the Woodford Reserve bourbon distillery, tucked away amongst the rolling hills and horse farms outside Lexington. Behind Dan and Rebecca is one of four bubbling, fermenting vats of malted mash and yeast.


The final picture is of a sheep-sheering we watched at the Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky. It was hard to keep a straight face with all the sheep bleating like crazy; they sound so human! We spent a few hours there, checking out all the old buildings (some almost 200 years old!), watching the craftspeople at work, and trying the restaurant. I was very impressed with the authenticity of so much of the village.

Sneaky Puppy

So, it is a regular occurance that we find our darling, obedient puppy sleeping in her favorite spot in the house- our bed. Nick decided to document it for me.

Silicone Hydrogel

"What's silicone hydrogel?" you ask. Well, it's the material of which my new contact lenses are made.

That's right, baby! Yesterday I visited the OSU Optometry Clinic for a long-past-due eye exam. It's been 6+ years since I last visited Dr. VanDyke in Grand Rapids, and I figured it might be good to not ruin my eyes.

I went with an open mind to experience a glasses-less life, and overall the visit was simple and painless, in part because we're not during the whole dilate-your-pupils thing until next week. The optometrist was this awesome guy named Randy - easygoing, knowledgable, and very patient in teaching me to deposit and retrieve those silicone hydrogel badboys. (Note: I've never been a big fan of deliberately putting something in my eyes.) But he seemed all excited about the durability and breathability of these contact lenses. They also correct my slight astigmatism in my right eye. I walked out of the clinic marveling at seeing the world clearly without glasses falling off my face. I immediately called Beth to brag about how daring and brave I am.

Probably the best part of the visit came towards the end of the examination, as I was putting the contacts in for the last time. Suddenly the optometrist turned to me and said, "I just have to ask... are you a Christian?" I grinned from ear to ear and told him that I'd been wanting to ask him the same thing for a while. We laughed and marveled at how awesome it is that we can recognize each other just based on our behavior and the things we say. We chatted a little more and discovered that we actually both go to Worthington Christian Church! After the appointment he introduced me to his wife who was waiting downstairs, and I vowed to find them next Sunday to introduce Beth.

My Invisible Watch

First off, I have NEVER worn a watch. I have many, and receive them as gifts all the time, but I have NEVER worn one for more than one or two days at a time. They bug the crap out of me. Even the hot ones. But, I have recently discovered a new idiosynchratic behavior of mine that makes no sense when compared to the fact that I do not wear a watch:

Every time I give someone the time, or when telling someone the time somthing will be happening, or when we have to be somewhere, I bend my left wrist as if sticking out my imaginary watch. Sometimes I even tap my wrist! I kid you not- it's like I am subconciously punctuating the idea that "Yes, I am giving you the time, but- no - no, I don't have a watch to prove it." It's the weirdest thing.

I'm telling you, next time you see me, ask me the time! I'll show you my invisible watch!

Our New Nightly Routine...

As of late, it has become Maeby's nightly routine to make a gigantic mess before she goes to bed. This includes taking every toy out of the basket, dragging every blanket out of her kennel, and strewing them around the living room. We're not sure why this happens. She doesn't seem upset, or hyper, or anxious for attention. She just wants to pull everything into the middle of the room. Maybe the ceremony is rich with latent symbolism for her. Maybe she's trying to tell us something. Maybe she's superstitious. Or maybe she just does it cuz she can. I'm guessing it's the last of those. After all, wouldn't you?

Into the Woods With Maeby Ray Magic

This past weekend found us home in Greenville with the family to see several of our talented sisters in school productions. While there, we gave Maeby a lot of play time outside. One afternoon she followed Vitaly into the woods, and the two romped around the creek (known by the family as Barely Run). She came back to us soaked, dirty, and happy as... well, a Lab in the woods. Here's a lovely picture of her, munching on her rawhide baseball, before I hosed her down. We hope one day to give her her own big yard in which to get filthy.

Four Rows Back from the Columbus Bluejackets

This past Tuesday evening Chip called me, completely out of breath. In the midst of his excited rambling I caught the words "Free tickets... Bluejackets... picking you up." Half an hour later I found myself downtown in Nationwide Arena four rows behind the goal. Chip and I could barely contain ourselves, and even though the Jackets lost 2-5 to Phoenix, we had a rockin' good time. Afterwards we met up with our good friend Greg Murray, also known as the voice of the Bluejackets. Greg took us down by the ice for some photo opps. Righteous!

The Luxury of Spring Break in 12 inches of Snow

Nick and I just retrned from a 10-day, 2000-mile trek that included Greenville, PA, Chicago, IL and Minneapolis, MN. (...One of these things is not like the others...) We left Oh, The Pooch with her Uncle Chip and Aunt Marcia, and started driving. Armed with our iBook, it served as our DJ and DVD player, and quickly passed the 28 hours of driving time we logged. All in all, it was a great trip; one that made me realize that vacation luxury is certaintly in the eye of the beholder.

When people found out that we were heading up north for the normal Beach-Worshipping-Holiday that is Spring Break, they snorted at the thought of going anywhere where there is the remote possibility of snow. But, visiting with our friends Jessie and Karl in their 3-year hometown was too good an opportunity to pass up! So what if the biggest snowstorm of the season blanketed them the day before we arrived! The luxury of endless good conversation in a Winter Wonderland trumps Florida any day!

Dear Lord, Help me be the person my dog thinks I am. Love, Beth

I'm sure many of us have heard this familiar bumper sticker- but I never realized exactly how true it is until we got Maeby. Though she has been nothing but a positive addition to our lives, it has placed more pressure on my moral character than I could have ever thought.

Maeby is a pretty smart dog. Now, I know, everyone's dog is the smartest dog in the world, blah, blah, blah...but she has started surprising us on a daily basis by the things that she is remembering and learning that we aren't even TRYING to teach her! I can't even IMAGINE how children are! The newest thing is her anticipation of my return from work in the evening. When I leave the gym to come home at night, I usually call Nick to let him know I'm coming. About 15 minutes later, I arrive home to a puppy on the brink of implosion from excitement.

Well, last night, Nick noticed something about this routine. The phone rang, and Maeby went and sat next to it to watch Nick answer and then say "Hi, Sweetie!" Remembering the previous nights and that Nick must be talking to me on my way home, she ran to the door, her tail wagging furiously and stared into the dark street, expecting to see me drive up any second. Nick just started laughing at the preperation this little dog goes through to greet me at night.

So, about 10 minutes later, I come onto the porch, and she almost breaks through the front door when she sees me. It is just about the most amazing feeling in the world. It makes me wonder if God goes through the same thing when we enter his house- but I suppose that line of thought might be too metaphorical for people to stomach.

All I know is that it makes me want to be a better person in order to deserve the greeting my little puppy gives me on a daily basis.

Hey, Girl!

Has anyone besides me noticed a definite increase in the use of the phrase "Hey, Girl!", used when one female addresses another? This greeting boggles my mind. Not only is it so generic that it could literally be addressing 51% of the population, but it is directly admitting that, "Yes, I recognize you, and I feel I need to acknowledge your existence, but I don't really want to access the part of my brain that contains your name, and...now, come to think of it, I don't even know it."

This is so prolific at Life Time Fitness, and from my central perch in the Member Activities counter, I hear it so many times a day, that I decided to count, in one hour, how many times I heard it. The grand total? 28!

I understand wanting to say hello to people to be polite and inviting, and wanting an easy way to do it, but the "Hey, Girl!" just needs to stop. Or use it on a few select occasions. Not every time you see another female.

Or, we could start the trend of "Hey, Boy!" It's just not the same.

I can die now...

Ok- So, we recently discovered that the actors on The Office- our Thursday night favorite- have their own blogs on MySpace. Here is Jenna Fischer's (Pam) blog: www.myspace.com/pambeesley You can get to everyone else's from her page.

Well, in a recent blog entry, she blows my mind with this:

********
I have a big announcement! I was just cast in the new Will Ferrell movie "Blades of Glory". The film stars Will Ferrell and Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) as a figure skating team competing against a sibling skating pair played by Amy Poehler (SNL) and Will Arnett (Arrested Development). I play Will and Amy's little sister and Jon Heder's love interest. It is a HILARIOUS movie! I'm very excited. It starts shooting in March.
********

This is the last movie I ever need to see...Will Ferrell, Will Arnett, Jon Heder, Amy Poehler, and Jenna Fischer ICE SKATING? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I think we're going to find out if it's possible to die from laughter...

Steelers Day '06 (I mean... Super Bowl XL)

So we're writing this as we're camped out at home with my brother Chip wading our way through four hours of Super Bowl pre-game. This is a very special day, as the Pittsburgh Steelers haven't been to the Bowl since 1995. And they're led by their 23-year-old quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger.



We wanted to make this a special day for Chip since he couldn't be home with his dad watching the game. As you can see by the pictures, we've got all the appropriate clothing, gear, and Big Ben's beef jerky. Not to mention a giant cookie with a special note to the Steelers from Chip.



Chip's prediction: Steelers: 34 Seahawks: 20.

Beth's prediction: Seahawks: 0 Steelers: Delicious.

Nick's predication: Steelers: Tuesday Seahawks: Jeff.

One Step Closer...

One more step! As of this past Monday evening I finished writing my doctoral exams. For me, the hard part's over, although I still have an oral defense next week. The stacks you see in this picture constitute about 3/4 of the books I used for the exams. No, I did not exactly read every single one of them - there was some skimming involved - but I got to know quite a few of them quite well. Overall the process was fun: when else are you stuck in a room by yourself and given three days to write about the things that interest you? It's pretty cozy, all camped-out with a laptop, some music, a couple books, and my emergency kit prepared by Beth, complete with snacks, soda, kleenex, a Paul Robinett candle, and a picture of me, Beth, and Maeby to watch over me. And the total pages after three days of writing: 88. Oh yeah, baby! One page for every key on a piano. Am I the only one who thinks that's cool? Probably.

Sunday School

Nick and I were asked a while back to begin teaching the "Young Marrieds" Adult Sunday School class at our church (worthingtoncc.org). This is continuingly baffling to me, as I view ourselves as compartitively young marrieds still! However, it's been 4 1/2 years- so where's the cut off? And, though we've had our fair share of varying marriage experience with a few relocations, degrees, and time-management issues, does the lack of home ownership, kids, multiple vehicles, etc... matter in teaching others how to work through these things? I'm not sure yet. I'll let you know in a few weeks.

I'm enjoying the organization, social event planning, and community-building part of it, and Nick is excited about the teaching and lesson plans. It works out well. We're going to start with the book, The 5 Love Languages, which is good. We read it a number of years ago, and it really opened our eyes to a lot of things. I'm glad we're reading it with a group, however, because there are a few problems with the book. There are many more than 5 Love Languages, and the book certaintly doesn't do anything to break down gender stereotypes (it automatically assumes all men are horny all the time and cannot function without a woman, and that all women need to be told they're beautiful 300 times a day for them to go on living...), but it begins the discussion that there is a whole different set of vocab for different people, and that is the important part.

So, wish us luck! We're excited about it and feel really called to teach this group. We'll keep you updated! And, for those of you who are planning on moving to Columbus, we'll save you a few seats!