Well, we're back online at home now. It's amazing how lacking internet in one's home can cause one to feel totally disconnected from the world in this age. We can't tell you the number of times we quarreled over facts and then felt totally lost because we couldn't go look it up and resolve our argument. Also, for a family that gets all world news online (and then through the grapevine), we felt totally cut off from the occurrences of life on earth and little able to verify the validity of information we received.
Anyhow, now that we have the ability to communicate regularly (even though we're not at home as we type this), we figured we'd update everyone with how and where we are.
We returned to North Carolina as we had mentioned and took care of our business. After that, we came back to San Antonio and stayed with Andrea's mom for a bit. We decided that we will stay in San Antonio for now, at least until our eldest turns 18 this year, he has no desire to relocate outside of the central Texas area and we don't plan to up an leave when he's not old enough to fend for himself. As a family (other than the one), we have a strong desire to relocate and/or travel. Plans have mostly settled around either buying an RV and travelling the country or relocating to New Hampshire near our family there and then taking frequent trips. Neither will happen until 2010, though.
For now, we found a house in Converse, which is pretty much to say in San Antonio. Aurora and Caed have decided to attend public school and Aurora is attending Andrea's alma mater, Judson High School. We have a four bedroom, 2 bath house, so the boys each got their own room and the girls are sharing a rather large bedroom. One of the things that makes this house unique is that a previous tenant repainted all of the rooms (except the bathrooms) and each in a different and vivid color.
The master bedroom is plain white, the only room in the house that could be considered bland. The living room is a burgundy type color, the kitchen/dining room is olive green (which actually works there), Shane's room is lavender, Caed's room is ocean blue, and the girls' room is hot pink. The boys intend to leave their paint alone (Shane's girlfriend's favorite color is purple) and the girls intend to paint a skull/crossbone pattern all over their walls. We picked out a new color for the living room, a light blue. We'll be priming the room soon and then painting soon after.
Well, that's about all that's terribly new or interesting. Karma and Andrea both got haircuts (from each other) and Karma's hair is really cute. When we get home, we'll have to get a picture up here for you to see.
Oh yeah, we also got Vonage and will have a phone number after we get home and get it set up. If you know us well enough to ask for it, e-mail or leave a comment and we'll get it to you.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Hmm, an update would be nice, wouldn't it?
Hello, sorry it's been so long. We've been a little sidetracked by life. Here's the rest of the vacation:
We very much enjoyed our week in North Carolina visiting with our good friends there. Everyone was pretty budget tight, so we spent a lot of time hanging out at their house. On Thursday of that week, we were going to their Museum of Natural Science when we had a bit of an emergency. The kids got to go to the museum, but Mom and Dad did not as we were taking care of business.
We are in San Antonio now, staying at Andrea's mom's house, but there is still business in North Carolina to take care of, so we'll be leaving here on the 31st to go back to North Carolina. We don't know everything yet and won't til we get there, so we may find ourselves needing to find housing in North Carolina.
If you're a reader in Austin, we'll be coming up this weekend for the Halloween Dance and some general socialization. We'll be in town Saturday-Monday, taking care of some Austin business on Monday (like checking a flooded PO Box!).
So, that's about it. Sorry it couldn't be a more exciting update. We'll come back after the Halloween Dance and update you again.
We very much enjoyed our week in North Carolina visiting with our good friends there. Everyone was pretty budget tight, so we spent a lot of time hanging out at their house. On Thursday of that week, we were going to their Museum of Natural Science when we had a bit of an emergency. The kids got to go to the museum, but Mom and Dad did not as we were taking care of business.
We are in San Antonio now, staying at Andrea's mom's house, but there is still business in North Carolina to take care of, so we'll be leaving here on the 31st to go back to North Carolina. We don't know everything yet and won't til we get there, so we may find ourselves needing to find housing in North Carolina.
If you're a reader in Austin, we'll be coming up this weekend for the Halloween Dance and some general socialization. We'll be in town Saturday-Monday, taking care of some Austin business on Monday (like checking a flooded PO Box!).
So, that's about it. Sorry it couldn't be a more exciting update. We'll come back after the Halloween Dance and update you again.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Third Update
So, let's pick up from where we left off. We departed from Hampton on the 9th of October and instead of heading south, we headed northwest, towards Vermont. See, we were sitting in our motel room in Hampton watching the Travel Channel and saw people eating Vermonsters at the Ben & Jerry's factory in Vermont. We thought, "We need to go to Vermont!" So, instead of heading south, we headed northwest to the Ben & Jerry's factory.
On the drive there, we were able to get gorgeous views of the fall foliage, something we had kind of missed on our drive, because we didn't take the Kankamagus Highway. We took tons of pictures on the drive to Vermont, we promise to bore you with them soon!
In Vermont, we opted not to take the factory tour as we would have had to wait more than an hour to do so. We did poke around the gift shop and get another bumper sticker for the car, wait til you see it! We also got some ice cream from their scoop shop and made ourselves sick, because we all ordered a large like a bunch of nutcases. Well, except for Shane, he had a smoothie and then finished all three of the lady's icecream.
From there, we headed southwest into New York state and avoided going through the city, but paid $16 in tolls. We think the tolls were cheaper than the gas sitting in traffic in NYC. We took a nap in the car in Virginia, then drove in to NC in the am on Friday, the 10th. Since we had motelled in NH, we're camping in NC and that's why we don't have internet access.
We've gotten to see Alex and attended his b-day party. We're here now and basically spending every day with him and his family for a week before returning to Texas. We'll see all of you in Tejas soon!
On the drive there, we were able to get gorgeous views of the fall foliage, something we had kind of missed on our drive, because we didn't take the Kankamagus Highway. We took tons of pictures on the drive to Vermont, we promise to bore you with them soon!
In Vermont, we opted not to take the factory tour as we would have had to wait more than an hour to do so. We did poke around the gift shop and get another bumper sticker for the car, wait til you see it! We also got some ice cream from their scoop shop and made ourselves sick, because we all ordered a large like a bunch of nutcases. Well, except for Shane, he had a smoothie and then finished all three of the lady's icecream.
From there, we headed southwest into New York state and avoided going through the city, but paid $16 in tolls. We think the tolls were cheaper than the gas sitting in traffic in NYC. We took a nap in the car in Virginia, then drove in to NC in the am on Friday, the 10th. Since we had motelled in NH, we're camping in NC and that's why we don't have internet access.
We've gotten to see Alex and attended his b-day party. We're here now and basically spending every day with him and his family for a week before returning to Texas. We'll see all of you in Tejas soon!
Catching up some more
So, as we said in the previous post, we drove straight through from Pittsburgh to New Hampshire. We passed through New York City at 11pm and got a great view of NYC from the GW Bridge. Two of the kids were able to see the Statue of Liberty.
We had planned to camp in New Hampshire, but when we arrived, we found all the campgrounds had closed early for the season due to the hurricane that had been threatening their coast. Well, there were campgrounds available up in the forest, but those were several hours away from Sam's family on the coast.
We found a low-priced motel in Hampton and got two rooms for the week, spending about the same amount we had planned to spend in NC. We saw at least one member of Sam's family every day except Monday, when we took our drive up into the mountains to see the fall foliage.
While in NH, we went to the Strawbery Banke Museum's First Annual Fall Festival. We also ate at a local restaurant, 99. Sam's aunt took us to a meat shop and deli where we all got sandwiches and then went down to the seawall to sit and eat. Aurora wore her bathing suit and took a dip in the Atlantic. Boy, did she get cold!!
Sam's aunt also took us apple picking at an apple orchard and we went back to her house and made apple pies and an apple crisp from scratch. That was a first for all of us, everyone pitched in on the prep! We got to see each of Sam's family members, except for his cousin, Chad. On our last evening there, we managed to miss his visit by mere minutes at Grammy's house and then he tried us at the motel, but we were off to the store.
We have some other big exciting news to share about New Hampshire, be sure to ask us next time you see us (or talk to us).
We'll continue in a third post...
We had planned to camp in New Hampshire, but when we arrived, we found all the campgrounds had closed early for the season due to the hurricane that had been threatening their coast. Well, there were campgrounds available up in the forest, but those were several hours away from Sam's family on the coast.
We found a low-priced motel in Hampton and got two rooms for the week, spending about the same amount we had planned to spend in NC. We saw at least one member of Sam's family every day except Monday, when we took our drive up into the mountains to see the fall foliage.
While in NH, we went to the Strawbery Banke Museum's First Annual Fall Festival. We also ate at a local restaurant, 99. Sam's aunt took us to a meat shop and deli where we all got sandwiches and then went down to the seawall to sit and eat. Aurora wore her bathing suit and took a dip in the Atlantic. Boy, did she get cold!!
Sam's aunt also took us apple picking at an apple orchard and we went back to her house and made apple pies and an apple crisp from scratch. That was a first for all of us, everyone pitched in on the prep! We got to see each of Sam's family members, except for his cousin, Chad. On our last evening there, we managed to miss his visit by mere minutes at Grammy's house and then he tried us at the motel, but we were off to the store.
We have some other big exciting news to share about New Hampshire, be sure to ask us next time you see us (or talk to us).
We'll continue in a third post...
So caught up!!
We've been so caught up in our trip we haven't had time to blog! Also, we went more than a week without any access to the internet, that doesn't help with blogging.
So let's see...we've done so much since we last updated you...We had a great time with Aurora's birthday, she had already received her gifts from Mom and Dad. The family we stayed with in PA gave Aurora some crocheting tools and naked skeins to dye. So for her birthday she dyed skeins, played Guitar Hero, then had a home baked cake and we played 100 Years by Five for Fighting ("I'm 15 for a moment...").
We stayed in Pennsylvania until the 1st of October. We spent most of this time hanging out with our new friends at their house. The kids went in and out, sometimes sleeping in the tent, sometimes not. Karma stayed in their daughter's room for all but the first night and Shane took over and hibernated in their youngest son's room for the bulk of our time there. Caed and Aurora and their two youngest spent a lot of time exploring the woods together, running in and out, and some extensive time on their PS2.
Aurora, Karma, and Shane went with them for their swing dance lesson and learned a bit of swing dance. Andrea and Karma attended church with them as it was a new experience, this lovely family belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Both Andrea and Karma enjoyed the experience and left with an appreciation of another religion (as well as copies of the Book of Mormon to read). Andrea has started reading her copy, though she is still reading First Nephi.
We also helped them organize their basement, where they keep their food storage and aided in clearing out the garage and holding a garage sale. This was all lots of fun. On our last day, we went to the Pittsburgh Zoo and saw lots of nifty animals. We then drove straight through to New Hampshire, arriving at about 6:30 in the morning.
We'll continue in another post.
So let's see...we've done so much since we last updated you...We had a great time with Aurora's birthday, she had already received her gifts from Mom and Dad. The family we stayed with in PA gave Aurora some crocheting tools and naked skeins to dye. So for her birthday she dyed skeins, played Guitar Hero, then had a home baked cake and we played 100 Years by Five for Fighting ("I'm 15 for a moment...").
We stayed in Pennsylvania until the 1st of October. We spent most of this time hanging out with our new friends at their house. The kids went in and out, sometimes sleeping in the tent, sometimes not. Karma stayed in their daughter's room for all but the first night and Shane took over and hibernated in their youngest son's room for the bulk of our time there. Caed and Aurora and their two youngest spent a lot of time exploring the woods together, running in and out, and some extensive time on their PS2.
Aurora, Karma, and Shane went with them for their swing dance lesson and learned a bit of swing dance. Andrea and Karma attended church with them as it was a new experience, this lovely family belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Both Andrea and Karma enjoyed the experience and left with an appreciation of another religion (as well as copies of the Book of Mormon to read). Andrea has started reading her copy, though she is still reading First Nephi.
We also helped them organize their basement, where they keep their food storage and aided in clearing out the garage and holding a garage sale. This was all lots of fun. On our last day, we went to the Pittsburgh Zoo and saw lots of nifty animals. We then drove straight through to New Hampshire, arriving at about 6:30 in the morning.
We'll continue in another post.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Freedom to Learn
We want to share with all of our readers this excellent blog on how children learn. The author is Dr. Peter Gray, a research professor of psychology at Boston College. He has conducted and published research in comparative, evolutionary, developmental, and educational psychology and published articles on innovative teaching methods and alternative approaches to education.
The blog starts at the bottom of the web page with the Introduction and then progresses bottom to top. If you have any questions about the value or worth of how our family is being educated, we highly encourage you to read this blog.
http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn
The blog starts at the bottom of the web page with the Introduction and then progresses bottom to top. If you have any questions about the value or worth of how our family is being educated, we highly encourage you to read this blog.
http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn
What a great day!
Yesterday we went to the Carnegie Science Center because it was free from 10am to 5pm. The place was so big, we didn't have time to see it all. After the science center, we drove up to Franklin to have dinner with my Uncle Bill and his wife Marsha. Marsha also called my Uncle Dave and his wife Sue to come down and visit with us. We had a lot of fun.
My Uncle Dave brought the Mad Magazine board game to me. This game has a fun story...it's an old game that my Uncle Dave owned and I used to go play it every summer, but I would sometimes have trouble getting people to play with me. When I was 12, I asked my Uncle Dave if I could have the game. I then left and forgot to take it with me. I called him and told him and he told me I could take it next time I was there. I didn't go again until I was 25. By that time, the game was lost.
When I visited last year, Dave told me he still couldn't find the game, he thought someone else might have taken it or it may have been thrown out. Yesterday, he surprised me with the game! It's missing most of its pawns and some of the cards, but he managed to tape up the box and the board is still in good condition. Yay! A new game for me. :)
Today is Aurora's birthday and we'll be baking her a chocolate cake. So far, she's celebrating by playing Guitar Hero. The other 6 kids are letting her play as long as she wants.
Andrea
My Uncle Dave brought the Mad Magazine board game to me. This game has a fun story...it's an old game that my Uncle Dave owned and I used to go play it every summer, but I would sometimes have trouble getting people to play with me. When I was 12, I asked my Uncle Dave if I could have the game. I then left and forgot to take it with me. I called him and told him and he told me I could take it next time I was there. I didn't go again until I was 25. By that time, the game was lost.
When I visited last year, Dave told me he still couldn't find the game, he thought someone else might have taken it or it may have been thrown out. Yesterday, he surprised me with the game! It's missing most of its pawns and some of the cards, but he managed to tape up the box and the board is still in good condition. Yay! A new game for me. :)
Today is Aurora's birthday and we'll be baking her a chocolate cake. So far, she's celebrating by playing Guitar Hero. The other 6 kids are letting her play as long as she wants.
Andrea
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Hello PA!
Wow, this road trip is really truckin' along (pun half intended)! We spent a fantastic five days at Andrea's brother's house in Detroit, MI. The kids all got wild with their cousins, Shane included. Rachel is their three year old who is notoriously shy. Well, she took a shining to both Shane and Aurora, treating the latter like her extra big sister.
We've now pressed on to stay with a family near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are a fantastic family. We have found some more kindred spirits. Aurora has a friend in their daughter, Karma has a friend in their eldest son, and Caed has a friend in their youngest son. Shane is catching up on his sleep and Mom and Dad get along famously with their Mom and Dad.
We are considering buying an annual pass to the local zoo as the pass is reciprocal and we can use it in other cities we visit on the way home, plus several in Texas (not Austin's sadly). The Carnegie Science Center has free admission tomorrow from 10am to 3pm. We plan to visit that early tomorrow then head up to Franklin to see some of Andrea's family and have dinner.
We're not sure yet what it is we're doing for Aurora's birthday on Monday, just that we're baking a cake and she wants to hear 100 years by Five for Fighting ("15 there's still time to choose..."). I'm sure we'll plan something she'll love.
We've now pressed on to stay with a family near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are a fantastic family. We have found some more kindred spirits. Aurora has a friend in their daughter, Karma has a friend in their eldest son, and Caed has a friend in their youngest son. Shane is catching up on his sleep and Mom and Dad get along famously with their Mom and Dad.
We are considering buying an annual pass to the local zoo as the pass is reciprocal and we can use it in other cities we visit on the way home, plus several in Texas (not Austin's sadly). The Carnegie Science Center has free admission tomorrow from 10am to 3pm. We plan to visit that early tomorrow then head up to Franklin to see some of Andrea's family and have dinner.
We're not sure yet what it is we're doing for Aurora's birthday on Monday, just that we're baking a cake and she wants to hear 100 years by Five for Fighting ("15 there's still time to choose..."). I'm sure we'll plan something she'll love.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Wowee!!
Wow, this trip has just been a blast and we're not even a week into it. As mentioned previously, our first stop was in Norman, Oklahoma, to stay the night with a family we met on an unschooling list. They were great...seven kids and not a moment without someone to watch or interact with. We visited the omniplex in Oklahoma City with them and had even more fun, plus learned lots.
After we departed Oklahoma, we drove through Kansas and ended up spending the night in Kansas City, mere miles from the Missouri border. On Thursday, we made it all the way to Minnesota where we camped in a state park and hit the Mall of America on Friday.
The Mall of America was very exciting. We think it may be so named because you can find just about every major store in America in the mall, including a Best Buy! We do highly recommend a trip to the mall, it's worth it. Friday night, we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows at our camp site.
We packed up Saturday morning to hit the road and head east for Detroit, but we didn't get very far before our car started dinging at us like there was a door open or something, but it gave us no message. We finally found an open Chevy dealership and took the car in to find that the electronic module on the passenger sliding door was not working properly. We were able to not have it replaced (big $$), but we did have to pay to have it diagnosed and the noise cleared, etc. As a result, we're on a much tighter budget than we began.
This has not dampened our spirits, however. We drove straight through from Minnesota to Michigan to save $$. Everyone has declared that this is a great vacation and so it shall remain.
After we departed Oklahoma, we drove through Kansas and ended up spending the night in Kansas City, mere miles from the Missouri border. On Thursday, we made it all the way to Minnesota where we camped in a state park and hit the Mall of America on Friday.
The Mall of America was very exciting. We think it may be so named because you can find just about every major store in America in the mall, including a Best Buy! We do highly recommend a trip to the mall, it's worth it. Friday night, we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows at our camp site.
We packed up Saturday morning to hit the road and head east for Detroit, but we didn't get very far before our car started dinging at us like there was a door open or something, but it gave us no message. We finally found an open Chevy dealership and took the car in to find that the electronic module on the passenger sliding door was not working properly. We were able to not have it replaced (big $$), but we did have to pay to have it diagnosed and the noise cleared, etc. As a result, we're on a much tighter budget than we began.
This has not dampened our spirits, however. We drove straight through from Minnesota to Michigan to save $$. Everyone has declared that this is a great vacation and so it shall remain.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
On the road again
We started our road trip today!! We left Austin at 11:30am and arrived for our first stop in Norman, Oklahoma to visit an unschooling family we met in an online group. We're staying the night with this wonderful family and then visiting the omniplex with them tomorrow before hitting the road again.
We decided to leave the camp chairs and most of the camping gear at home (save for the tent and the sleeping bags), which gave us more space for things like coats--we're headed to the northeast don't cha know. :)
We'll keep you updated as we progress across the country. If you're reading this and would love us to stop and visit, drop us a line!
We decided to leave the camp chairs and most of the camping gear at home (save for the tent and the sleeping bags), which gave us more space for things like coats--we're headed to the northeast don't cha know. :)
We'll keep you updated as we progress across the country. If you're reading this and would love us to stop and visit, drop us a line!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Life just works
Sam and I have been participating in a seminar on Integrity lately, which has brought many fun distinctions to our life. In this seminar, integrity is simply defined as having workability in one's life. It is separate from morality in that something can be moral, but still not have integrity because it doesn't work.
This one has been difficult for me because during the course, I came to realize that I have no integrity whatsoever and my life doesn't work. I tend to avoid making commitments and then tend to not keep the ones I make. After that happens, I usually feel terribly guilty and then go hide under a rock and don't answer the phone or e-mails. This doesn't work for people and has consequently left me in a place where I have almost no friends.
It finally all came together for me yesterday. My best friend was terribly angry with me for leaving her high and dry lately and I had no time to go sit down with her to talk things out. I wrote her a long, teary e-mail about how I was sorry and discussing some finer points of our relationship. I consequently made my kids late to their pool party.
On the way to the pool party, I realized I could ask another mom to keep an eye on my kids and then go see to my best friend. I did just that and then while we were mid-stride in conversation, the other mom called letting me know that it started raining, everyone was leaving the pool, and she needed me to come get my kids. On the way to the pool, I realized I hadn't called my seminar group members to let them know I had scheduled a group meeting for 6pm the same day.
I called another group member (the one who already knew) and asked her if she could call everyone else. Then I called someone else for coaching so that I could get what didn't have integrity (that I didn't think of my group members until 3pm) and get clear on that. I picked up my kids, took them home, then headed back to see my best friend and complete our conversation.
I was so powerful in my communication that by the time I got to the seminar at 7pm (after apologizing to my group), I was absolutely high on how well things could work if I simply honor my word. I was floored by this notion and really got that's all there is to making life work, just give my word and then honor it.
Here's to honoring word and living powerfully!!
This one has been difficult for me because during the course, I came to realize that I have no integrity whatsoever and my life doesn't work. I tend to avoid making commitments and then tend to not keep the ones I make. After that happens, I usually feel terribly guilty and then go hide under a rock and don't answer the phone or e-mails. This doesn't work for people and has consequently left me in a place where I have almost no friends.
It finally all came together for me yesterday. My best friend was terribly angry with me for leaving her high and dry lately and I had no time to go sit down with her to talk things out. I wrote her a long, teary e-mail about how I was sorry and discussing some finer points of our relationship. I consequently made my kids late to their pool party.
On the way to the pool party, I realized I could ask another mom to keep an eye on my kids and then go see to my best friend. I did just that and then while we were mid-stride in conversation, the other mom called letting me know that it started raining, everyone was leaving the pool, and she needed me to come get my kids. On the way to the pool, I realized I hadn't called my seminar group members to let them know I had scheduled a group meeting for 6pm the same day.
I called another group member (the one who already knew) and asked her if she could call everyone else. Then I called someone else for coaching so that I could get what didn't have integrity (that I didn't think of my group members until 3pm) and get clear on that. I picked up my kids, took them home, then headed back to see my best friend and complete our conversation.
I was so powerful in my communication that by the time I got to the seminar at 7pm (after apologizing to my group), I was absolutely high on how well things could work if I simply honor my word. I was floored by this notion and really got that's all there is to making life work, just give my word and then honor it.
Here's to honoring word and living powerfully!!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Birthday Fun
We made a commitment at the end of last year to be less materialistic when it came to gift giving within our household. Christmas worked out well, we got five gifts from Santa and then some cash to use as we each saw fit.
For birthdays this year, we had a commitment not to spend more than $50 for each person on gifts. We have been quite successful on this, with both boys having had their birthdays recently and loving their gifts so much that they didn't notice we had spent considerably less than the previous year. Aurora had a specific item in mind that was outside of our dollar limit, however she offered to give up having a party and eating out for her birthday in exchange for the extra amount spent. This worked for us, so we went ahead and bought her the item she requested.
For Caed's birthday, he received Marvel Ultimate Alliance for the Wii (that grandma bought us for all of our birthdays this year) and then we gave him some cash since he didn't have anything else he wanted that would allow us to come in under $50. We also went to Austin's Park and Pizza for his party, which included his two closest friends. We avoided the media room, as usual, and sat in a quieter room so we could have conversation and enjoy one another's company. Surprisingly, we only stayed for 3 hours as Caed became anxious to come home and put together the Lego toy he received from one of his friends.
With the cash he got from us and the Toys R Us giftcard he received from his mother, Caed bought himself a Tomb Raider game for the Wii. He's been spending a lot of time on the Wii lately, but this doesn't bother us as he was spending just as much time reading various books this time last year. He tends to become quite absorbed in whatever interests him, so we know that once his interest changes, so will his activities.
Andrea's birthday was great for her as well. She woke up early for no reason she could tell and promptly showered, gathered a daughter, and went bargain hunting at the Blue Hangar Goodwill (super discounted Goodwill). She found many prizes, including an Unabridged Dictionary published in 1979 (coincidence?), a nice pair of leather sandals (not real leather), and a Holistic Healing Guide. There was much more found and for all she only paid $16.
After Goodwill, she picked up the rest of the family and we went to see a house for lease in the area. It has 6bedrooms and 3bathrooms. It's a lot of space, we fear perhaps too much, but we love the fact that everyone can have their own room during these teenage years and there are many shelves and storage places everywhere. We've been trying to minimize the things we have, but we would still like space to place what we have. The house is available now and we're not sure they'll hold it for us until we return from vacation, but there's only one way to find out, which is to ask.
So, that's been our week. Sam and Andrea start a new workshop tomorrow, which we will be attending from 10am until 10pm. On Sunday, we're planning a birthday party for Andrea, something we haven't done in a long time, so it should be fun!
For birthdays this year, we had a commitment not to spend more than $50 for each person on gifts. We have been quite successful on this, with both boys having had their birthdays recently and loving their gifts so much that they didn't notice we had spent considerably less than the previous year. Aurora had a specific item in mind that was outside of our dollar limit, however she offered to give up having a party and eating out for her birthday in exchange for the extra amount spent. This worked for us, so we went ahead and bought her the item she requested.
For Caed's birthday, he received Marvel Ultimate Alliance for the Wii (that grandma bought us for all of our birthdays this year) and then we gave him some cash since he didn't have anything else he wanted that would allow us to come in under $50. We also went to Austin's Park and Pizza for his party, which included his two closest friends. We avoided the media room, as usual, and sat in a quieter room so we could have conversation and enjoy one another's company. Surprisingly, we only stayed for 3 hours as Caed became anxious to come home and put together the Lego toy he received from one of his friends.
With the cash he got from us and the Toys R Us giftcard he received from his mother, Caed bought himself a Tomb Raider game for the Wii. He's been spending a lot of time on the Wii lately, but this doesn't bother us as he was spending just as much time reading various books this time last year. He tends to become quite absorbed in whatever interests him, so we know that once his interest changes, so will his activities.
Andrea's birthday was great for her as well. She woke up early for no reason she could tell and promptly showered, gathered a daughter, and went bargain hunting at the Blue Hangar Goodwill (super discounted Goodwill). She found many prizes, including an Unabridged Dictionary published in 1979 (coincidence?), a nice pair of leather sandals (not real leather), and a Holistic Healing Guide. There was much more found and for all she only paid $16.
After Goodwill, she picked up the rest of the family and we went to see a house for lease in the area. It has 6bedrooms and 3bathrooms. It's a lot of space, we fear perhaps too much, but we love the fact that everyone can have their own room during these teenage years and there are many shelves and storage places everywhere. We've been trying to minimize the things we have, but we would still like space to place what we have. The house is available now and we're not sure they'll hold it for us until we return from vacation, but there's only one way to find out, which is to ask.
So, that's been our week. Sam and Andrea start a new workshop tomorrow, which we will be attending from 10am until 10pm. On Sunday, we're planning a birthday party for Andrea, something we haven't done in a long time, so it should be fun!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
At least it wasn't a month
So, it's been two weeks since we last blogged. As the title suggests, it could have been worse.
So let's see, not much has happened since we last blogged. We had Shane's b-day, that went really well. Shane decided the day before that he wanted to go out to a movie with friends, so we e-mailed several and rounded up two: Daniel and Austin. Shane, Daniel, and Austin went to see StepBrothers while the moms (and Dad) buzzed around running errands and hunting down a birthday apple pie for Shane. Shane got a pair of noise canceling headphones and an Itunes giftcard from Mom and Dad, both of which he loves.
After the movie, we all went out to Red Lobster as a party of 9, which was tons of fun. We sat around telling dirty jokes, hoping we wouldn't get kicked out, when our waitress (who was in her sixties) came up and told us a few of her own. A great time was definitely had. Austin ended up staying the night and the girls went home with Daniel and his mom to hang out with Daniel's older sister, who is Karma's best friend. Austin and Shane enjoyed some little brother (read: Caedmon) torture at 3 am that had Mom get up and threaten to make them sleep in the street.
Shane declared it was his best birthday and Mom and Dad patted one another on the back.
We have two birthdays coming up this week, Caed's birthday is on Tuesday and he'll be 12. Andrea turns 29 on Thursday (no, for real) and is not feeling old in any way--unlike when Sam was turning 29 and panicked that he was getting old.
We're still on for our vacation starting September 9th. We're heading to the Mall of America first and then after that, we'll head East and hopefully see some family along the way. If we haven't called you yet, please call us if you can snag a minute, we tend to get voicemail alot!!
This year, we'll be spending a minimum of 1 week in New Hampshire as requested by Sam's family, who we only spent a day with last year. We're also planning an actual stop in NYC of at least 3 days and several days in NC with some friends of ours that moved there earlier this year.
If you're reading this and you live E of the Mississippi and would like us to visit, drop us a comment!!
So let's see, not much has happened since we last blogged. We had Shane's b-day, that went really well. Shane decided the day before that he wanted to go out to a movie with friends, so we e-mailed several and rounded up two: Daniel and Austin. Shane, Daniel, and Austin went to see StepBrothers while the moms (and Dad) buzzed around running errands and hunting down a birthday apple pie for Shane. Shane got a pair of noise canceling headphones and an Itunes giftcard from Mom and Dad, both of which he loves.
After the movie, we all went out to Red Lobster as a party of 9, which was tons of fun. We sat around telling dirty jokes, hoping we wouldn't get kicked out, when our waitress (who was in her sixties) came up and told us a few of her own. A great time was definitely had. Austin ended up staying the night and the girls went home with Daniel and his mom to hang out with Daniel's older sister, who is Karma's best friend. Austin and Shane enjoyed some little brother (read: Caedmon) torture at 3 am that had Mom get up and threaten to make them sleep in the street.
Shane declared it was his best birthday and Mom and Dad patted one another on the back.
We have two birthdays coming up this week, Caed's birthday is on Tuesday and he'll be 12. Andrea turns 29 on Thursday (no, for real) and is not feeling old in any way--unlike when Sam was turning 29 and panicked that he was getting old.
We're still on for our vacation starting September 9th. We're heading to the Mall of America first and then after that, we'll head East and hopefully see some family along the way. If we haven't called you yet, please call us if you can snag a minute, we tend to get voicemail alot!!
This year, we'll be spending a minimum of 1 week in New Hampshire as requested by Sam's family, who we only spent a day with last year. We're also planning an actual stop in NYC of at least 3 days and several days in NC with some friends of ours that moved there earlier this year.
If you're reading this and you live E of the Mississippi and would like us to visit, drop us a comment!!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Wow
Last time we posted, we committed to posting on a weekly basis. Here now it's been just over 3 weeks without a post. So, what's going on with us?
Well, our lease was up on July 31st, but we're hanging tight until we go on vacation. We moved all of our stuff into storage today, just to have it out of the way and in case we get told that the place has rented and we need to vacate. We've hung on to a few items necessary for survival, like food and a few dishes.
Let's see, what else has happened in the last 3 plus weeks? Sam and Andrea attended another workshop, which was just plain awesome. We'll have to give details about that in person, it just can't be done justice in a blog.
Oh yes, Aurora has a boyfriend now! His name is Dakota and he's a good kid. They're 1 year and one month apart, he being the older one. That's a little more of a thrill ride for Mom and Dad than Karma and her boyfriend, because those two are perfectly shy together. Aurora and hers are a little less so. We'll keep you posted.
More recently, we got Breaking Dawn, the fourth (and final?) book in the Twilight series. So far, Mom has read it and loved it. Karma and Aurora are both reading it, but Aurora was borrowing a copy that went home with our friend, so she's now impatiently interrupted. Karma is a little less than halfway through the book and thoroughly enjoying herself. If you haven't started the series yet, we highly recommend it! Everyone but Shane has read or is reading the series.
Other things that have happened recently...For the release party of Breaking Dawn, Karma and her friend Cameron were going to dye their hair black with temporary dye. They misread the package they bought and applied a not-so-temporary hair dye to their hair while Mom and Dad slept. Needless to say, both girls have black hair and will have for quite some time.
We may not have ever mentioned it, but we received a Wii for our Birthdays this year from Andrea's Mom. We now have five or six games for it and very much enjoy playing. So much so, that we are bringing it on our vacation this year.
Oh yes, for those that we haven't announced to yet, we are taking a vacation on Sept 9th, until no later than November 11th. We will be travelling first to MN to see the Mall of America before continuing on to see Sam's family in NH in late Sept and Karma's boyfriend's family in NC in mid-October. We have no other set or solid plans, but if you would like us to drop in and see you, please let us know! If you are a certain sister-in-law with a brand-new (nearly 1 year old) son that we haven't met yet, we would love to stop and see y'all for a day or two (or more if you're up for it).
So, that's about it! Shane's b-day is this week, so we'll come back and update y'all later in the week.
Well, our lease was up on July 31st, but we're hanging tight until we go on vacation. We moved all of our stuff into storage today, just to have it out of the way and in case we get told that the place has rented and we need to vacate. We've hung on to a few items necessary for survival, like food and a few dishes.
Let's see, what else has happened in the last 3 plus weeks? Sam and Andrea attended another workshop, which was just plain awesome. We'll have to give details about that in person, it just can't be done justice in a blog.
Oh yes, Aurora has a boyfriend now! His name is Dakota and he's a good kid. They're 1 year and one month apart, he being the older one. That's a little more of a thrill ride for Mom and Dad than Karma and her boyfriend, because those two are perfectly shy together. Aurora and hers are a little less so. We'll keep you posted.
More recently, we got Breaking Dawn, the fourth (and final?) book in the Twilight series. So far, Mom has read it and loved it. Karma and Aurora are both reading it, but Aurora was borrowing a copy that went home with our friend, so she's now impatiently interrupted. Karma is a little less than halfway through the book and thoroughly enjoying herself. If you haven't started the series yet, we highly recommend it! Everyone but Shane has read or is reading the series.
Other things that have happened recently...For the release party of Breaking Dawn, Karma and her friend Cameron were going to dye their hair black with temporary dye. They misread the package they bought and applied a not-so-temporary hair dye to their hair while Mom and Dad slept. Needless to say, both girls have black hair and will have for quite some time.
We may not have ever mentioned it, but we received a Wii for our Birthdays this year from Andrea's Mom. We now have five or six games for it and very much enjoy playing. So much so, that we are bringing it on our vacation this year.
Oh yes, for those that we haven't announced to yet, we are taking a vacation on Sept 9th, until no later than November 11th. We will be travelling first to MN to see the Mall of America before continuing on to see Sam's family in NH in late Sept and Karma's boyfriend's family in NC in mid-October. We have no other set or solid plans, but if you would like us to drop in and see you, please let us know! If you are a certain sister-in-law with a brand-new (nearly 1 year old) son that we haven't met yet, we would love to stop and see y'all for a day or two (or more if you're up for it).
So, that's about it! Shane's b-day is this week, so we'll come back and update y'all later in the week.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Hello
Long time no blog.
Much has happened since last we posted as tends to happen in life. Highlights of the last many months: Shane lives with us; Sam and Drea participated in the Landmark Forum; Caed has lost many teeth and his 12 year molars are growing in; Karma has been commissioned for two art projects, a mural and a sign; Aurora is crocheting like a madwoman; Shane is almost done watching the complete Angel series; Andrea let her hair grow out to past her shoulders and then let Karma cut it (it's cute!); Sam has shaved his head again; Shane shaved his head again; Aurora let Karma cut her hair; Caed is wearing size 8 shoes but is still only 4'8"; Aurora is 1/4" shorter than Andrea; Karma grew 1/8"; we're heading out on a roadtrip on Sept. 9th to see the Mall of America, Andrea's brother and his family, Sam's family, and our friends who moved to NC.
Hmm, that may be about it. Oh yeah, we've got a new vehicle, a Chevy Uplander, which we will be driving on our vacation. Okay, so as lackluster as that was, that's the update! We'll start updating on a weekly basis, we promise.
Much has happened since last we posted as tends to happen in life. Highlights of the last many months: Shane lives with us; Sam and Drea participated in the Landmark Forum; Caed has lost many teeth and his 12 year molars are growing in; Karma has been commissioned for two art projects, a mural and a sign; Aurora is crocheting like a madwoman; Shane is almost done watching the complete Angel series; Andrea let her hair grow out to past her shoulders and then let Karma cut it (it's cute!); Sam has shaved his head again; Shane shaved his head again; Aurora let Karma cut her hair; Caed is wearing size 8 shoes but is still only 4'8"; Aurora is 1/4" shorter than Andrea; Karma grew 1/8"; we're heading out on a roadtrip on Sept. 9th to see the Mall of America, Andrea's brother and his family, Sam's family, and our friends who moved to NC.
Hmm, that may be about it. Oh yeah, we've got a new vehicle, a Chevy Uplander, which we will be driving on our vacation. Okay, so as lackluster as that was, that's the update! We'll start updating on a weekly basis, we promise.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Our Family Song
Our family movie is Meet the Robinsons. This song is played at the end of the movie. We love it.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
How we're doing
Hey everyone. Sorry it's been so long since we last posted. As you can expect, we've been quite busy with all the changes around the house.
Things are going pretty well, there've been some bumps in the road, no surprise, but we're making it along.
That was about the end of the inspiration. Hopefully, we'll say more later.
Things are going pretty well, there've been some bumps in the road, no surprise, but we're making it along.
That was about the end of the inspiration. Hopefully, we'll say more later.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
The Day of Reckoning is Nigh!!
For all those of you who are tuned in to our latest happenings, our changes are occurring in just a couple of days. We are busily arranging the house (read: cleaning like madmen) and are anxiously awaiting the newness of it all.
We'll keep you updated on the changes as they occur.
We'll keep you updated on the changes as they occur.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Changes
Well, it seems to be all settled. Our life is definitely changing. We don't have the final details yet, but we're preparing for it. Due to some privacy issues, we can't talk about it here, but if you call us or talk to us in person, we'll let you in on what's going on.
If you can't get to a phone, shoot us an e-mail, we may not have your address and we'll tell you that way (hint, hint sis).
We're very excited and we'll post back when everything is changed.
If you can't get to a phone, shoot us an e-mail, we may not have your address and we'll tell you that way (hint, hint sis).
We're very excited and we'll post back when everything is changed.
Monday, February 18, 2008
I can has cheezburger!
This is a cool site we like. Check out this lolz we made with a pic of our kitty, Axl.
moar funny pictures
If the html for our pic isn't working, click the link below to see it:
http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/View.aspx?noyoucant128478702789531250.jpg
moar funny pictures
If the html for our pic isn't working, click the link below to see it:
http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/View.aspx?noyoucant128478702789531250.jpg
So What's Going On?
Shh, it's a secret! Some know kind of what's going on, we're still up in the air and unsure about it.
If you want to know, you have to call us and ask us, or ask us when you see us (if you live in this city).
It's exciting!!
If you want to know, you have to call us and ask us, or ask us when you see us (if you live in this city).
It's exciting!!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Racking 'em up!!
So now we have two people in the house that are laid up. Andrea was cleaning the house this morning (more like decluttering) and she went to pick some recycle up off the floor when her back started spasming. This is much like when it happened to her last year in July, only the spasms haven't gotten so bad that she's walking around like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Last year, when Andrea saw the doctor, she was told to take 800mg of ibuprofen three times per day and to do some special back stretches. So, today she's been doing her stretches and taking ibuprofen. She hasn't been in too much pain since starting the ibuprofen, but it still hasn't been pleasant for her.
Also, she had to miss work today. This is only her sixth day on her new job, doesn't that stink? We're hoping that if she rests all day today and does her stretches that she'll be well enough to go in tomorrow.
Last year, when Andrea saw the doctor, she was told to take 800mg of ibuprofen three times per day and to do some special back stretches. So, today she's been doing her stretches and taking ibuprofen. She hasn't been in too much pain since starting the ibuprofen, but it still hasn't been pleasant for her.
Also, she had to miss work today. This is only her sixth day on her new job, doesn't that stink? We're hoping that if she rests all day today and does her stretches that she'll be well enough to go in tomorrow.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Another tagging...
The rules are incredibly easy:
1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.
Okay so the book nearest and easiest to grab (I have a couple books that I haven't started reading yet under a pile of papers) is Hormones, Health, and Happiness by Steven F. Hotze, MD. Thanks a bunch to Stephie for recommending this book, I'm loving it.
p. 123, sentences 5-7:
"As I mentioned in the previous chapter, in women who are of reproductive age, levels of testosterone peak at ovulation, the very time in a woman's menstrual cycle when she is fertile. This surge in testosterone midway through her cycle stimulates a woman's desire for sex. When a woman is estrogen-dominant, though, she experiences numerous ovulatory cycles in which there is no elevation in testosterone at this midpoint."
Hey Christine, we seem to be a little sex focused!! LOL
Actually, the book I'm reading is (as suggested by the title) about hormone health and that particular section is in a chapter talking about testosterone and how it affects a woman's libido.
I don't have anyone to tag. :(
1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.
Okay so the book nearest and easiest to grab (I have a couple books that I haven't started reading yet under a pile of papers) is Hormones, Health, and Happiness by Steven F. Hotze, MD. Thanks a bunch to Stephie for recommending this book, I'm loving it.
p. 123, sentences 5-7:
"As I mentioned in the previous chapter, in women who are of reproductive age, levels of testosterone peak at ovulation, the very time in a woman's menstrual cycle when she is fertile. This surge in testosterone midway through her cycle stimulates a woman's desire for sex. When a woman is estrogen-dominant, though, she experiences numerous ovulatory cycles in which there is no elevation in testosterone at this midpoint."
Hey Christine, we seem to be a little sex focused!! LOL
Actually, the book I'm reading is (as suggested by the title) about hormone health and that particular section is in a chapter talking about testosterone and how it affects a woman's libido.
I don't have anyone to tag. :(
Yet Another Injury!!
Well, I guess it just runs in the family. On Wednesday last, while enjoying a social at Mandola's in the Triangle, Aurora went to jump onto a ledge and sprained her foot. A doctor happened to be in the crowd and examined her foot, recommending that we go get it x-rayed.
What a wonderful homeschooling community we have!! It was suddenly like having 8 extra "me"s right there to get things done. I was a little overwhelmed at all the offers of help as I'm used to handling emergencies by my lonesome. I was in the bathroom when it happened and by the time I got outside (maybe a minute?), someone already had Aurora's shoe and sock off, was cradling her head, and someone was off for ice. Sam had taken Caed to a doctor's appointment, so someone picked him up after and they joined the rest of us in the Emergency Room.
Aurora's foot was fortunately not broken, but she has to been by an orthopedic surgeon this upcoming week to evaluate her for possible surgery. I'm not sure where the line is between needing it or not, but it's something we will face. She is presently on crutches with an air cast and regular icings.
Excitement abounds.
What a wonderful homeschooling community we have!! It was suddenly like having 8 extra "me"s right there to get things done. I was a little overwhelmed at all the offers of help as I'm used to handling emergencies by my lonesome. I was in the bathroom when it happened and by the time I got outside (maybe a minute?), someone already had Aurora's shoe and sock off, was cradling her head, and someone was off for ice. Sam had taken Caed to a doctor's appointment, so someone picked him up after and they joined the rest of us in the Emergency Room.
Aurora's foot was fortunately not broken, but she has to been by an orthopedic surgeon this upcoming week to evaluate her for possible surgery. I'm not sure where the line is between needing it or not, but it's something we will face. She is presently on crutches with an air cast and regular icings.
Excitement abounds.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
New One on Us
You know, we do surveys by e-mail, we do surveys on MySpace...why not post a survey to our blog?
Andrea's Answers to Survey from The Hogue Chronicle.
1. If your doctor told you TODAY that you were pregnant, what would you say?
Miracle of Miracles!! Sam has had a vasectomy, but if divine intervention occurs, we'd be pleased as punch.
2. When was the last time you flew in a plane?
I think I might not have remembered the last time simply because it was sad. I flew to Pittsburgh, PA for my cousin's funeral in 2005. Oddly, I don't remember the flight at all, in either direction. I know that I flew because I remember the guilt over not having enough money to buy my own ticket (thanks, Mom!), but I don't remember being on the plane at all. Too many other things in my head, I suppose. Oddly, that was also the first time I'd ever flown with a parent along.
3. What did the last text message you sent say?
I don’t text message.
4. What features do you find most attractive in the preferred sex?
I look at smiles, then eyes, then upper torso. I find high intelligence most attractive.
5. What is a goal you would like to accomplish in the near future?
Bringing my health and finances under control.
6. Shoe size?
10-11 depending on brand and fit
7. Been to Mexico?
Nopes.
8. When is the last time you had a massage?
Sometime in the last six months, Sam gave me one.
9. What was the last TV show you watched?
Sam and I just finished watching Heroes Ssn 1 on DVD.
10. What are your plans for the weekend?
I'm not sure, I tend not to plan that far in advance.
11. If your significant other asked you to marry them TODAY what would you say?
Where are we going to get the money for a wedding (we're already legally married-9 years as of yesterday)?
12. What is in the back seat of your car right now?
Um, some random junk and the back seat
13. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
Instead of sleeping this am, I was at church. It was a special occasion.
14. If you could marry any celebrity today who would it be?
So assuming I'm available for marriage and we're interested in one another...Gerard Butler.
15. Have you ever been to a strip club?
Um, I did go into one once because the owner also owned some apartments I was looking to rent one of. I had to go in to meet him. I decided not to rent, because the only apartment available was right above the club.
16. What is the best ice cream flavor?
Ben & Jerry’s Everything But The...
17. What is the last sporting event you watched?
The 2006 Super Bowl
18. Ever go camping?
Yes! But it has been forever. I went to camp (with cabins) when I was 11/12. I haven't been camping in a tent since my parents were together.
19. Last phone call?
A Friend calling to offer me more free stuff.
20. Are you allergic to anything?
Um, sulfa, lactose, and cedar or something of the nature (seasonal).
21. What is one thing you have learned about life recently?
That unschooling can be a truly workable method of leading children in learning, even my kids.
22. What do you do at work?
At the mo, I spend much time keeping and caring for a family.
23. What is your mom’s name?
Linda
24. Ever cried for no reason?
I don't think I can technically say "no reason." Even when I had tears pouring down my face without accompanying emotion back in 1997, I later realized that I had a nervous breakdown (I had been working 18-22 hour days for 2 1/2 months). My body just couldn't handle any more, so I stood at work (both jobs that day), with tears streaming down my cheeks even though I was doing my job. That's a reason, even if it's not necessarily an emotional one.
25. Can you do the Crank Dat dance?
Never heard of it
26. What is your favorite color to wear?
Blue
27. What is the longest plane ride you have ever been on?
The only plane rides I've ever been on have all been pretty much the same, between Portland, OR and San Antonio, TX (with one trip originating in Austin, TX instead). They were all mostly for custody. Then, I'm reminded that I've also flown from San Antonio, TX to Pittsburgh, PA. I'm not sure which is longer, though.
28. What is the longest road trip you have ever taken?
Ooh, last year, we took a 3 week road trip. We drove from Austin, to TN, to MI, to PA, to MA, to NH, to MD, to TX (home).
29. What are your turn-offs?
Not sure right now.
30. What was your last alcoholic beverage?
Um, I think I had a glass of wine with dinner sometime last year.
31. What are you craving right now?
I just ate a honey bbq chicken sandwich I had been craving.
Bloggers: Copy and paste, answer the questions, and send as a link to this post under comments. Have fun!
Andrea's Answers to Survey from The Hogue Chronicle.
1. If your doctor told you TODAY that you were pregnant, what would you say?
Miracle of Miracles!! Sam has had a vasectomy, but if divine intervention occurs, we'd be pleased as punch.
2. When was the last time you flew in a plane?
I think I might not have remembered the last time simply because it was sad. I flew to Pittsburgh, PA for my cousin's funeral in 2005. Oddly, I don't remember the flight at all, in either direction. I know that I flew because I remember the guilt over not having enough money to buy my own ticket (thanks, Mom!), but I don't remember being on the plane at all. Too many other things in my head, I suppose. Oddly, that was also the first time I'd ever flown with a parent along.
3. What did the last text message you sent say?
I don’t text message.
4. What features do you find most attractive in the preferred sex?
I look at smiles, then eyes, then upper torso. I find high intelligence most attractive.
5. What is a goal you would like to accomplish in the near future?
Bringing my health and finances under control.
6. Shoe size?
10-11 depending on brand and fit
7. Been to Mexico?
Nopes.
8. When is the last time you had a massage?
Sometime in the last six months, Sam gave me one.
9. What was the last TV show you watched?
Sam and I just finished watching Heroes Ssn 1 on DVD.
10. What are your plans for the weekend?
I'm not sure, I tend not to plan that far in advance.
11. If your significant other asked you to marry them TODAY what would you say?
Where are we going to get the money for a wedding (we're already legally married-9 years as of yesterday)?
12. What is in the back seat of your car right now?
Um, some random junk and the back seat
13. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
Instead of sleeping this am, I was at church. It was a special occasion.
14. If you could marry any celebrity today who would it be?
So assuming I'm available for marriage and we're interested in one another...Gerard Butler.
15. Have you ever been to a strip club?
Um, I did go into one once because the owner also owned some apartments I was looking to rent one of. I had to go in to meet him. I decided not to rent, because the only apartment available was right above the club.
16. What is the best ice cream flavor?
Ben & Jerry’s Everything But The...
17. What is the last sporting event you watched?
The 2006 Super Bowl
18. Ever go camping?
Yes! But it has been forever. I went to camp (with cabins) when I was 11/12. I haven't been camping in a tent since my parents were together.
19. Last phone call?
A Friend calling to offer me more free stuff.
20. Are you allergic to anything?
Um, sulfa, lactose, and cedar or something of the nature (seasonal).
21. What is one thing you have learned about life recently?
That unschooling can be a truly workable method of leading children in learning, even my kids.
22. What do you do at work?
At the mo, I spend much time keeping and caring for a family.
23. What is your mom’s name?
Linda
24. Ever cried for no reason?
I don't think I can technically say "no reason." Even when I had tears pouring down my face without accompanying emotion back in 1997, I later realized that I had a nervous breakdown (I had been working 18-22 hour days for 2 1/2 months). My body just couldn't handle any more, so I stood at work (both jobs that day), with tears streaming down my cheeks even though I was doing my job. That's a reason, even if it's not necessarily an emotional one.
25. Can you do the Crank Dat dance?
Never heard of it
26. What is your favorite color to wear?
Blue
27. What is the longest plane ride you have ever been on?
The only plane rides I've ever been on have all been pretty much the same, between Portland, OR and San Antonio, TX (with one trip originating in Austin, TX instead). They were all mostly for custody. Then, I'm reminded that I've also flown from San Antonio, TX to Pittsburgh, PA. I'm not sure which is longer, though.
28. What is the longest road trip you have ever taken?
Ooh, last year, we took a 3 week road trip. We drove from Austin, to TN, to MI, to PA, to MA, to NH, to MD, to TX (home).
29. What are your turn-offs?
Not sure right now.
30. What was your last alcoholic beverage?
Um, I think I had a glass of wine with dinner sometime last year.
31. What are you craving right now?
I just ate a honey bbq chicken sandwich I had been craving.
Bloggers: Copy and paste, answer the questions, and send as a link to this post under comments. Have fun!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
New Directions
At some point in everyone's life (many points for most people), one feels their whole life taking on a different direction. Here in the Dharma Family, we feel the change coming. We've made many changes and hope to make many more in 2008.
Let us tell you about some of the things we've changed and some of what's coming...
Let us tell you about some of the things we've changed and some of what's coming...
- We mentioned back in November that we now speak to Sam's oldest son fairly regularly. We were on an every other month pattern last year, but we started out this year well by speaking to him both in December and January.
- We have, as a family, decided to wholeheartedly embrace unschooling. We've done a lot of research and realized that so long as each of us has a deep internal desire for personal betterment, this will be successful. We've also realized that if we don't have that deep internal desire, that no amount of school or workbooks at home will change that.
- We still want to open up our own store. We've had to put the idea on the backburner with the housing slump because lenders all over are more hesitant to give out their money. This leads us to:
- We've created a budget. We bought this great book called America's Cheapest Family and we've actually created a workable budget. We've already begun applying some of their money saving principles and plan to start our budget in February. Already though, we've found more money in our pockets just by applying some of their money saving principles.
- We're also changing the children's allowance system to a work and get paid system that is a modified version of the one found in America's Cheapest Family. We are all excited about it.
- We plan to move this year, because we're not happy with where we live now. We're still very unsure about where we're moving to, we'll update you when the time comes.
- Since embracing unschooling, even Sam and Andrea have rekindled their individual desires to learn and so learning is constanly happening around here.
- We're embracing our sister-in-law's desire to unclutter her house. We plan to spend 2008 decluttering our living space.
- Andrea is finally taking charge of her health and saw a doctor today to discuss her lack of weight loss and constant fatigue, among other things. She goes in for lab tests tomorrow.
Well, that's about all of the changes. The last thing that we'll be changing is that we're going to make more of an effort to keep our online followers updated. We belong to an unschooling listserv where everyone has been posting their days and we plan to do something similar here.
That's all for now folks!
Lots of love,
The Dharma Family
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Isaac...wonderful Isaac...
This is an update about our friend Isaac Lehr who has been mentioned in previous posts. This update was written by our friends the BareNakedFamily.
This morning as we were standing in line for security check in to fly to Santa Rosa we got the call that Isaac has passed away this morning. We are sitting here in the airport waiting to board our flight and surrounded by the love of Isaac. Even in a busy place like this the love that is God and is Isaac is surrounding us right now. We can't help but listen to the music that is playing right now and see his crazy big grin shining down on us. Isaac has left this world knowing his place with God and completly at peace. It is so comforting to know that he has smiled and been courageous all this time.
I know that he loves everyone of ya'll who have been keeping up and sending amazing love, support, and prayers to him and his Family. It's so awesome that we get to take the love of all of ya'll out there with us today.
Today, we honor the man, father, husband, and friend that Isaac Lehr has been and will continue to be. There ain't no one else like him in the world.Isaac, thank you. You are loved. You are missed. You are celebrated. You are wonderful my friend. Thank you for allowing me to smile this morning. We will always remember 'Standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona' together.
barenaked love,
Greg, Jenn, Austin, Kesley, Sunny
This morning as we were standing in line for security check in to fly to Santa Rosa we got the call that Isaac has passed away this morning. We are sitting here in the airport waiting to board our flight and surrounded by the love of Isaac. Even in a busy place like this the love that is God and is Isaac is surrounding us right now. We can't help but listen to the music that is playing right now and see his crazy big grin shining down on us. Isaac has left this world knowing his place with God and completly at peace. It is so comforting to know that he has smiled and been courageous all this time.
I know that he loves everyone of ya'll who have been keeping up and sending amazing love, support, and prayers to him and his Family. It's so awesome that we get to take the love of all of ya'll out there with us today.
Today, we honor the man, father, husband, and friend that Isaac Lehr has been and will continue to be. There ain't no one else like him in the world.Isaac, thank you. You are loved. You are missed. You are celebrated. You are wonderful my friend. Thank you for allowing me to smile this morning. We will always remember 'Standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona' together.
barenaked love,
Greg, Jenn, Austin, Kesley, Sunny
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