I received this as an e-mail forward. It was to good not to share with the blogosphere.
>
>
> GOOD
> A Kalispell, MT.. policeman had a perfect spot to watch for speeders, but wasn't getting many. Then he discovered the problem--a 12-year-old boy was standing up the road with a hand painted sign, which read 'RADAR TRAP AHEAD.' The officer also found the boy had an accomplice who was down the road with a sign reading 'TIPS' and a bucket full of money.. (And we used to just sell lemonade!)
>
> BETTER
> A motorist was mailed a picture of his car speeding through an automated radar post in Billings, MT. A $40 speeding ticket was included. Being cute, he sent the police department a picture of $40. The police responded with another mailed photo of handcuffs..
>
> BEST
> A Young woman was pulled over for speeding. A Montana Highway Patrolman walked to her car window, flipping open his ticket book, she said, 'I bet you are going to sell me a ticket to the Highway Patrol Ball. 'He replied, ' Montana Highway Patrolman don't have balls.' There was a moment of silence. He then closed his book, got back in his patrol car and left..
Monday, August 31, 2009
Changing Seasons
Chris and I have entered a new season of life. One that is called - harvest. Chris works for a seed company and one of their main crops is corn. Corn harvest lasts from 6-8 weeks now through September.
So what does that mean for us? It means Chris is now facing 6 weeks of working 7 days a week, 12 hours a day. Which means that I will see him from 8pm - bedtime on Saturday and Sunday nights. And not much in between. Since they actually process the corn at their plant, they much have it open 7 days a week to receive trucks and they want other employees there to keep up on the regular work too.
We survived the first weekend so far and are praying that corn harvest does not last any longer then 6 weeks or that Chris' boss will have mercy on his crew and maybe let them have a Sunday off if they get far enough ahead in their other seed orders - besides corn.
This will be a huge blessing to us financially with a doubled workweek - which meas 40 hours of regular pay plus 40 hours of overtime on top. Since we have fallen off the Dave Ramsey bandwagon, we hope to jump back on and knock out baby step #2 - DEBT! After a couple months, all we will have left is student loans and we will attack those with a vengeance. I want to own my education.
So if you don't hear from us for awhile don't fret. We're still here. It's almost like we're hibernating but we'll be back in October! :)
So what does that mean for us? It means Chris is now facing 6 weeks of working 7 days a week, 12 hours a day. Which means that I will see him from 8pm - bedtime on Saturday and Sunday nights. And not much in between. Since they actually process the corn at their plant, they much have it open 7 days a week to receive trucks and they want other employees there to keep up on the regular work too.
We survived the first weekend so far and are praying that corn harvest does not last any longer then 6 weeks or that Chris' boss will have mercy on his crew and maybe let them have a Sunday off if they get far enough ahead in their other seed orders - besides corn.
This will be a huge blessing to us financially with a doubled workweek - which meas 40 hours of regular pay plus 40 hours of overtime on top. Since we have fallen off the Dave Ramsey bandwagon, we hope to jump back on and knock out baby step #2 - DEBT! After a couple months, all we will have left is student loans and we will attack those with a vengeance. I want to own my education.
So if you don't hear from us for awhile don't fret. We're still here. It's almost like we're hibernating but we'll be back in October! :)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Coo-kie?
I am always surprised at how many people make such a big deal of the free cookies each evening at the hotel. Last night, they came out a half hour later then people expected - so I heard about that. Then some people who really wanted a cookie did not come down for one until two minutes after the last one had been eaten - so I heard about that. Sometimes I can't tell if they're just joking or really serious. Beware of all the cookie monsters out there. And maybe buy some stock in oreos.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Summer Reading
Ok so I know summer is almost over (I still follow the school calender since all my friends are teachers and will soon be working again, sad) but that doesn't mean summer reading has to stop.
I have not been doing very well this year but I have read a few good books. One of my favorite authors is Francine Rivers. She wrote the bestselling novel "Redeeming Love". It is on of my absolute favorite books. Every time I read it I go through the same emotions and can't put it down until I'm finished. It tells the amazing story of a prostitute rescued by a farmer and how she has to learn to be loved, not only by him but by God who is calling her out of her old life and into a new one. She keeps running back to what she knows but eventually hears God's voice and is rescued forever.
This summer I have read a couple other of Francine's books. The first one I borrowed from a friend and was called "The Atonement Child". It was such an emotional story that several times reading it I literally had tears in my eyes. It tells the story of a girl who had been raped, got pregnant, and decided to keep the baby against her family, friends, and boyfriend's wishes. Her decision ends up bringing her family together in a way she could not have predicted as she learns several others also dealt with abortion and are now offered a chance for healing and reconciliation. As you're reading it your heart goes out to this girl and her family because this is a real life situation that probably occurs more then we think about.
And finally I just finished a new Francine Rivers book entitled "and the Shofar Blew". I have to admit though that this one was a little different and I didn't like it as much. Of course, I need to read it again and again before I make a final opinion but it just seemed a little different. This one tells the story of a new pastor and his wife who move to central California to pastor a small but dying church. They want to bring new life into the community and have good intentions but the pastor gets carried away and it becomes more about his accomplishments then God's will. He gets out of control and eventually commits adultery. It was a good, emotional story but the part I didn't like was that only the last couple of chapters deal with his turning and redemption - I guess it felt rushed and I wanted to know more about his life after turning it back over to God. But it was a good read and a stunning comparison to how easy it is to get caught up in our accomplishments and forget the reason for those accomplishments.
So what have you read this summer?
I have not been doing very well this year but I have read a few good books. One of my favorite authors is Francine Rivers. She wrote the bestselling novel "Redeeming Love". It is on of my absolute favorite books. Every time I read it I go through the same emotions and can't put it down until I'm finished. It tells the amazing story of a prostitute rescued by a farmer and how she has to learn to be loved, not only by him but by God who is calling her out of her old life and into a new one. She keeps running back to what she knows but eventually hears God's voice and is rescued forever.
This summer I have read a couple other of Francine's books. The first one I borrowed from a friend and was called "The Atonement Child". It was such an emotional story that several times reading it I literally had tears in my eyes. It tells the story of a girl who had been raped, got pregnant, and decided to keep the baby against her family, friends, and boyfriend's wishes. Her decision ends up bringing her family together in a way she could not have predicted as she learns several others also dealt with abortion and are now offered a chance for healing and reconciliation. As you're reading it your heart goes out to this girl and her family because this is a real life situation that probably occurs more then we think about.
And finally I just finished a new Francine Rivers book entitled "and the Shofar Blew". I have to admit though that this one was a little different and I didn't like it as much. Of course, I need to read it again and again before I make a final opinion but it just seemed a little different. This one tells the story of a new pastor and his wife who move to central California to pastor a small but dying church. They want to bring new life into the community and have good intentions but the pastor gets carried away and it becomes more about his accomplishments then God's will. He gets out of control and eventually commits adultery. It was a good, emotional story but the part I didn't like was that only the last couple of chapters deal with his turning and redemption - I guess it felt rushed and I wanted to know more about his life after turning it back over to God. But it was a good read and a stunning comparison to how easy it is to get caught up in our accomplishments and forget the reason for those accomplishments.
So what have you read this summer?
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Vacay to Minnes-ota
What a fabulous week away we had! Here's the rundown:
Saturday August 1st:
My body must have known I was going on vacation because I came down with a terrific head cold that started with terrible sinus congestion. Ugh! But I managed to make it to E-burg to celebrate at a friend's wedding shower. I rode up with my MIL and so we had a nice time chatting on the drive even though I could barely keep my eyes open. We also got to see Chris' sister and had a nice family dinner in Prosser before returning home to finish packing.
Sunday August 2nd:
We hit the road for Portland with the adapter to play the I-Pod on our car stereo and a box of Kleenex for my runny nose! It was a HOT drive but the gorge is always pretty and it was great to see not only my aunt and uncle but my cousin Amy, her husband and two boys - Mason & Miles. We stayed with them and got to spend lots of time with the boys. Mason took us on a great tour of their house while Miles mostly smiled and drooled! They are super cute.
Monday August 3rd:
Our flight left at 11:45 for Minnesota. It was a great flight. I got to sit by the window and see interesting sights but my I thought my eardrums would burst on our descent down into Minneapolis. It's not fun to fly with a cold. Linnea & Nestie picked us up and we enjoyed a wonderful BBQ'd meal back at their house. Nestie is very cute and starting to laugh and smile. Dinah also amused us with her begging skills. After Nestie went to bed we played Settlers which was fun! I had never played before.
Tuesday August 4th:
Happy Anniversary! We made it two years. To celebrate, we went on a tour of the Mill City Museum in downtown Minneapolis. It was very interesting to learn the history of the city and learn how a flour mill works. It was a beautiful day so we walked across part of the stone arch bridge across the Mississippi and watched the loons and fish in the river. We picked up Paul from work and headed to their favorite Turkish restaurant. Yay for doner kebabs! I hadn't eaten a true doner kebab since being in Slovenia and it was delicious! Chris enjoyed his doner kebab style chicken and although he got french fries with it I was glad he branched out to try something new. After dinner we headed to a St. Paul Saints game but unfortunately they lost by 1 run to the Wichita Wingnuts. However they kept up thoroughly entertained with the interesting contests after each inning and parading a pig around dressed in different costumes. Apparently the pig is their mascot. Just as we were walking back to the car my flip flop got stuck in a crack and broke so I had a very dirty foot when we got back home.
Wednesday August 5th:
After sleeping in (which felt very good after the time change) we headed up to Wild River State Park - canoe, Dinah, and 5 people speeding down the freeway in a Honda. We had a great time canoeing on the St. Croix river (Which borders Minnesota and Wisconsin). We saw turtles sunning on rocks, Chris got some craw fish, and we saw two bald eagles. They were amazing. One flew across the river right in front of Chris and I - wow! They are majestic. And on the way back to the cities we got to stop at Culvers (a hamburger joint with delicious custard) and Caribou Coffee - way better then Starbucks if I do say so myself.
Thursday August 6th:
Paul drove us to the airport before the sun came up for our very early flight and with hardly any lines we made it through security in about twenty minutes. As we walked to our gate, we saw several policeman and firemen wandering around. There was an awful smell in the air - like burnt rubber - and they were inspecting ceiling tiles trying to figure out where the smell was coming from. What a comforting sight. Especially as they walked away after about 20 minutes, not knowing any more about the smell or what caused it. They lady sitting near us would not stop making comments about it up until she got on the plane! I'm glad nothing went wrong with our flight to SLC. But it was pretty turbulent which almost added special effects as we were watching Star Trek as our in flight movie. It almost felt like we were on a ride at Disneyland - warp speed! After 2 hours in SLC we boarded our plane for Portland and were welcomed to the Rose City by clouds and rain. We had coffee with a friend and headed to our hotel to celebrate our anniversary. But we were so tired we ordered room service and both fell asleep shortly after eating.
Friday August 7th:
After a stop at IKEA, we headed back to Prosser to celebrate my mom's 50th birthday. After a great dinner at Famous Dave's we had ice cream cake at our place and she opened her gifts. I loved watching her open the gift certificate for the Victoria Clipper. She is so excited to choose her trip - thanks to everyone who contributed towards it. And we got to open our anniversary gift - an electric ice cream maker!
I cannot wait to try it out.
Well that sums up our week away. It was so nice to travel together and spend time with dear friends. I'll post some pictures later this week.
Saturday August 1st:
My body must have known I was going on vacation because I came down with a terrific head cold that started with terrible sinus congestion. Ugh! But I managed to make it to E-burg to celebrate at a friend's wedding shower. I rode up with my MIL and so we had a nice time chatting on the drive even though I could barely keep my eyes open. We also got to see Chris' sister and had a nice family dinner in Prosser before returning home to finish packing.
Sunday August 2nd:
We hit the road for Portland with the adapter to play the I-Pod on our car stereo and a box of Kleenex for my runny nose! It was a HOT drive but the gorge is always pretty and it was great to see not only my aunt and uncle but my cousin Amy, her husband and two boys - Mason & Miles. We stayed with them and got to spend lots of time with the boys. Mason took us on a great tour of their house while Miles mostly smiled and drooled! They are super cute.
Monday August 3rd:
Our flight left at 11:45 for Minnesota. It was a great flight. I got to sit by the window and see interesting sights but my I thought my eardrums would burst on our descent down into Minneapolis. It's not fun to fly with a cold. Linnea & Nestie picked us up and we enjoyed a wonderful BBQ'd meal back at their house. Nestie is very cute and starting to laugh and smile. Dinah also amused us with her begging skills. After Nestie went to bed we played Settlers which was fun! I had never played before.
Tuesday August 4th:
Happy Anniversary! We made it two years. To celebrate, we went on a tour of the Mill City Museum in downtown Minneapolis. It was very interesting to learn the history of the city and learn how a flour mill works. It was a beautiful day so we walked across part of the stone arch bridge across the Mississippi and watched the loons and fish in the river. We picked up Paul from work and headed to their favorite Turkish restaurant. Yay for doner kebabs! I hadn't eaten a true doner kebab since being in Slovenia and it was delicious! Chris enjoyed his doner kebab style chicken and although he got french fries with it I was glad he branched out to try something new. After dinner we headed to a St. Paul Saints game but unfortunately they lost by 1 run to the Wichita Wingnuts. However they kept up thoroughly entertained with the interesting contests after each inning and parading a pig around dressed in different costumes. Apparently the pig is their mascot. Just as we were walking back to the car my flip flop got stuck in a crack and broke so I had a very dirty foot when we got back home.
Wednesday August 5th:
After sleeping in (which felt very good after the time change) we headed up to Wild River State Park - canoe, Dinah, and 5 people speeding down the freeway in a Honda. We had a great time canoeing on the St. Croix river (Which borders Minnesota and Wisconsin). We saw turtles sunning on rocks, Chris got some craw fish, and we saw two bald eagles. They were amazing. One flew across the river right in front of Chris and I - wow! They are majestic. And on the way back to the cities we got to stop at Culvers (a hamburger joint with delicious custard) and Caribou Coffee - way better then Starbucks if I do say so myself.
Thursday August 6th:
Paul drove us to the airport before the sun came up for our very early flight and with hardly any lines we made it through security in about twenty minutes. As we walked to our gate, we saw several policeman and firemen wandering around. There was an awful smell in the air - like burnt rubber - and they were inspecting ceiling tiles trying to figure out where the smell was coming from. What a comforting sight. Especially as they walked away after about 20 minutes, not knowing any more about the smell or what caused it. They lady sitting near us would not stop making comments about it up until she got on the plane! I'm glad nothing went wrong with our flight to SLC. But it was pretty turbulent which almost added special effects as we were watching Star Trek as our in flight movie. It almost felt like we were on a ride at Disneyland - warp speed! After 2 hours in SLC we boarded our plane for Portland and were welcomed to the Rose City by clouds and rain. We had coffee with a friend and headed to our hotel to celebrate our anniversary. But we were so tired we ordered room service and both fell asleep shortly after eating.
Friday August 7th:
After a stop at IKEA, we headed back to Prosser to celebrate my mom's 50th birthday. After a great dinner at Famous Dave's we had ice cream cake at our place and she opened her gifts. I loved watching her open the gift certificate for the Victoria Clipper. She is so excited to choose her trip - thanks to everyone who contributed towards it. And we got to open our anniversary gift - an electric ice cream maker!
I cannot wait to try it out.
Well that sums up our week away. It was so nice to travel together and spend time with dear friends. I'll post some pictures later this week.
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