Pieces of a Saturday

June 25, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

So today we’re gonna

go back to the randomness that used to make up my Saturday posts.

Today has definitely had some random moments, so it’s good.

First up…welcome back, sunshine! After several gloomy, cloudy, rainy days, it was so wonderful to wake up to the sun shining!

We tried to enjoy the gorgeous weather, too.

We had coffee on the back porch, tossed around the frisbee a bit, I attempted to blog outside but kept getting distracted by talking to people who walked by ;), and had (another) coffee with a friend in her backyard. Definitely some good sun, and the tan that was fading is revived a bit. Always good.

Mae is back to her two naps right now thanks to the lovely little fever/rash that she’s got. She is NOT happy about it, either, although the extra sleep is good for her. In between naps, though, we packed her up and headed to the farmer’s market in East Dundee.

We browsed a bit and then walked to DQ, which wasn’t very far.

(Yeah, now you know the REAL reason we went there! ;))

And somewhere during our excursion I got wind of some Cupcake Days goin’ on not too far from DQ and ditched the ice cream in favor of cake. (That’s a lingering effect of pregnancy…I LOVE CAKE!) I ate the most expensive cupcake of my life. (To date.) It was YUMMY! And I devoured it so quickly that there is no pic…sorry about that. But for those of you who are interested, it was Raspberry Key Lime and worth every calorie.

😀

Tonight we wanted to check out a freebie concert not too far from our house so we packed up Mae again and headed over there.

But we knew, just a few minutes from our house, that it was a bad idea. Our poor girl just wasn’t up for it…she was cranky, moody, still not feeling well…and we knew better than to try the concert.

We did, however, think that it was worth it…even in the midst of her crankiness…to make a quick run to Old Navy for $2 Tank Top Day.

Oh, how Mel learned her lesson. The lesson that goes something like this:  If-you-want-a-deal-go-in-the-morning-not-at-night.

No more tank tops.

Bummer.

And we ended the night with the girl peacefully drifting into dreamland, Tobin and a friend moving our (new to us) freezer to the basement, and me and a friend making a run to Menards to pick up Mae’s new swimming pool while it was still on sale. 😉 Now we just have to make sure we can set it up without a fence…yeah, it’s on the big side for a first pool. She’ ll love it, though.

And I think?

That’s it for tonight.

Hope you are all having a wonderfully random weekend, just like me.

:)

Sig

Filed Under: family, friends, just life, random

Friend Thoughts

June 24, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

This is gonna be short and sweet.

Busy day = not much time for the blog. But that’s ok. 😉

This afternoon/evening some Indonesia friends came to see us.

I’m not sure what to call them…we were friends with them IN Indo, but they are

FROM Wisconsin. You decide.

Anyway, it was fun. We had some great laughs, and I was so thankful they

had the chance to meet Mae, even if she had a pretty rough day.

(Yeah, the fever she had a couple days ago turned into roseola, which the doctor had suspected, and

she woke up with a crazy rash today. Poor girl. At least it’s almost over.

:))

Anyway, back to the fun. We just had a great time catching up, telling stories, laughing, roasting marshmallows, eating too much, and just…picking up our friendship where it left off a year ago.

We have so missed them, and it did a lot for our hearts to reconnect and make some more memories.

As wonderful as this year has been, and as much as I have enjoyed the new friends I’ve made…I’m so thankful for people in my life

who understand where I’ve been and what the Indo part of my life looks like. No matter how many stories I tell, no matter how many Indonesian foods I (attempt to) cook and share with people here, they will never fully understand that part of my life.

I know that, I’ve accepted it…and I truly enjoy those friendships for what they are.

And sometimes it’s nice that not everyone knows what life was in Indo…because we share the good stuff.

I can’ t say I was always a

t my best there. True…Oh. So. True.

Today made me incredibly thankful for the people God has placed into my life for each step of the journey. Some are part of it for just a step, others remain part of it even when our steps part ways.

So if you’re reading this (unless you’re a random stranger stopping by) you’ve probably, at some point, been one of those friends…or still are.

And I’ m thankful for you!

Just my thoughts tonight.

Sig

Filed Under: friends, Indonesia, just life

Chattin’ While Drinkin’ Water Out Of My New Orange Water Bottle

June 23, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Ok, so I’m kind of lacking creativity in the titling of this post. Therefore, you get exactly what’s happening. 😉

Today if you hopped over, you’d find a semi-clean house (yay, Mel!) and someone dying to chat with a human being who can speak words back.

It’s been kind of a rainy, blah week, and Mae and I haven’t been out of the house much other than for random walks and a bit of birthday shopping for my hubby, who turns (whisper) 34 on Tuesday! Anyway, so when today (aka: Park Day) rolled around, I was sure we’d get rained out. Thankfully we didn’t and Mae and I had some time this morning with friends. Ah, what social interaction will do for the heart and soul.

Tomorrow we are looking forward to a visit from some more of our Indonesia friends.

The Hegle’s are a family we’ve known since the summer before we went to Indo, and they’re back for the summer.

We love them, our fellow Packer friends, American Idol party hosts, and just cool people. So looking forward to seeing them tomorrow and introducing them to our girl!

This week I vowed that I would work out every day.

On Monday nights I get together with a group for a walk (a make-me-drip-with-sweat-up-and-down-hills walk, just to clarify ;)) and then some station training with a friend who I think could steal Jillian Michaels’ job. Speaking of Jillian, I bought her DVD, 30 Day Shred, and I have to admit that after three days, I can already tell a difference.

The workouts are TOUGH, but at least they’re short. (20ish minutes.)

I WILL make it through the 30 days!

I WILL MAKE IT through the 30 days!

I WILL MAKE IT THROUGH THE 30 DAYS!

Just sayin’. :) And then I will reward myself with some chocolate and shopping.

Tonight I had a culinary success that I HAVE to brag about. I made homemade pizza on the grill. I read about this on a friend’s blog, tweaked it, and gave it a try.

It was amazing…so amazing that I want to go attack the leftovers, but I’m practicing self control. I’m thinkin’ we might need to make it a few more times this summer, though. :) (Why is it that I seem to follow talking about working out with talking about food?)

We’re still tossing around vacation ideas but have pretty much settled on either St.

Louis or Southaven, since both would involve seeing some good friends we haven’ t seen for

two years.

Good stuff. Now that we have a semi-plan, I’m ready to get excited about actu ally

taking a vacation!

The three of us went on a family “date” tonight. First we headed to Menards to pick up my extremely late Mother’s Day gift…a fire pit. I am very excited about it.

😀 I can’t wait to roast marshmallows and strum my guitar and sing. YAY!!! Then we went to the grocery store to pick up a few things so we can actually feed our friends tomorrow.

We are tossing around the idea of getting a small(er) pool for Maelie since she already loves the water.

We’ve been looking at the 3′ Intex one and wondering if it’s worth it. I know a few people who have them. The way this girl splashes around, she’ll use it all the time. Just wondering if we want to wait another summer. I guess we’ll see what kind of deal we can get.

Ok, I’m just blabbing on and on when the truth is, I’ve got thank you’s to write and some doggies to love and an orange water bottle to refill.

G’nite! Love you all.

Sig

Filed Under: family, friends, just life

Summer Vacation, Anyone?

June 22, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

So…Tobin and I realized tonight that we haven’t taken a vacation in the U.S. for a looooong time.

No boo-hooing, though…we had plenty of Bali fun while overseas. Man I miss it there.

So it was almost an overwhelming task to come up with a place when he asked me, “Where do you want to go?”

The criteria include: someplace we can drive to without going crazy (remember, this is being driven with a one year old who hates her carseat), can be driven to in one day OR two if there’s a fun place to stop halfway, and preferably someplace with hotels we can afford. So far we’ve thrown out the following as options.

Southaven, MS: There are a lot of perks that come with this one, mostly in the form of close friends and the fact that we most likely wouldn’t pay for a hotel. The downfall is that when time is spent running all over the place seeing people, that’s not really a vacation.

Wisconsin Dells: It’s close, fun, and though we’ve both lived in Wisconsin, it’s been ages since we’ ve been there.

But it’s close…and doesn’t re ally feel like too much of

a vacation.

Smoky Mountains (Gatlinburg, TN): This was just kind of mentioned as a place we’d like to go. It could be a possibility, but I doubt it will happen this summer.

St. Louis: Could be a possibility and could include having some friends from Southaven meet us there.

The downfall is that I’ve been there a dozen times, so it doesn’t feel like something new and exciting to me. But I would go back there just for this. 😉

Myrtle Beach, SC: We’ve got friends there, and it would be so fun to see them.

This one is almost completely out of the running, though, because of driving time. Maybe when Mae is older.

Washington, D.C.: Yeah, this one got thrown into the mix when Tobin said, How much does it cost to fly to D.C.? I’m not sure we’re serious, although neither of us have spent much time on the East Coast.

(Does Newark Airport count? I ate a hot dog there…)

London: Is it fair for me to throw this out there? Haha… there are some crazy wicked deals on Europe this summer at certain times.

T’would  be fun. But let’s stop dreaming… back to reality.

Minneapolis: This one was thrown out, too…but really we fall into the same trap as Southaven. It’s not a vacation…it’s a go-see-people trip, which is fun but different fun.

A Beach in Michigan: That’s as far

as we got. Apparently there are beaches in Michigan

? Hmmm…

Help! Where should we go? Feel free to leave me a suggestion.

I’m kinda tempted to just stay home…

Sig

Filed Under: family, just life

Things I Do When I Don’t Feel Like Blogging

June 21, 2011 by · 2 Comments

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, just life

Restless Soul

June 20, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

There’s a restlessness in me tod

ay.

I’m not sure where it’s coming from.

Perhaps from waiting impatiently for something that, at this very moment, seems like it will never happen.

Or an inability to sit still after a few weeks of go-go-going.

I liked that.

Sitting still? Not so much.

It could be that the transition to one nap for my sweet girl is making

my days longer, forcing me to be more creative in how we spend our time together.

There’s a bit of me that’s questioning myself, too…who is the real Mel and where does she fit? I kind of still feel like I’m looking for that place, wherever it might be.

Yet in the middle of the restlessness, I am thankful that…

Nothing is impossible with my God.

And that it is ok…more than ok…to be still and know that He is God. Also? That He gives the strength, patience, and joy needed for each day…and that He gave me my sweet daughter. I love her so much. And that He loves me with an everlasting love, just as I am, on days when I feel that no one else does, especially me.

That’ s all for tonight.

Sig

Filed Under: just life, where I am

Thursday Diet Cherry Pepsi…and a Chat, Too

June 16, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Yeah, that’s the new beverage of choice. It’s good! Although I did have one LARGE coffee this morning, so had our conversation taken place then, it would have been a regular old coffee date. :)

It’s been a busy, good week.

It’s VBS week, which I think I’ve mentioned once or twice. 😉 I’ve gotten to spend my mornings leading games for 2nd-4th graders, which is pretty fun most of the time.

(Today there were some listening issues, so it’s not fair for me to share my opinion based JUST on today.) Overall, the kids are really good kids, and I love the fact that they are willing to participate in just about anything and have a good time. And in the past, I’ve never loved the VBS songs, but the ones from this program are good. (And stuck in my head…so praise God they’re good songs!) Maelie has spent her mornings in the nursery with some of her friends, and I love that she already has some buddies and also that she has some pretty awesome people taking care of her. It’s been such a good week, and a tiny part of me is sad that it’s over tomorrow.

In addition to Maelie having happy VBS mornings, she’s just had a happy week. We’ve had some fun walks and lots of play time in her new sandbox (without the sand right now :)) She’s been breaking in some of her new toys, which she got at her birthday party Sunday night.

We had lots of friends and neighbors over and just had the best time.

What a blessing they all are to us!

And this chat would not be complete without me sharing the holy fit that Maelie threw today outside…because I wouldn’t let her eat rocks. Really, child, do I starve you THAT much?! She was so loud that I took her inside…but after that, she got over it. (And found some new blocks to chew on instead.) So, really, it was all good.

Yesterday I did something I hadn’ t done since I go

t back

to the States.

I went into a gas station to get a fountain drink…and about went into culture shock mode all over again.

Dude…I’ve never seen so many drink choices at my disposal. And 44 oz. for $.89?! I sorta went crazy and added a couple random flavors to my Diet Pepsi. It was a little strong, but thankfully it still tasted good. It would have been sad if I’d wrecked that drink, my first gas station fountain drink since returning to America.

Thornton’s, I shall be visiting you much more often! Thank you for your existence.

Speaking of things I haven’t done for awhile…playing volleyball?! Yeah, that’s one of them. Tomorrow night/Saturday morning, Tobin and I are playing in a volleyball tournament with some friends. I really, really hope I don’ t comple

tely embarrass myself. (Or hurt myself, which, really, is far more likely.) Joel & Sarah, Jonny & Kris, Tobin…I’m apologizing in advance. Just sayin’.

Tonight I took a shower, and the hot water was being stupid. (That’s been goin’ on a few weeks here now.) Well, I got impatient and decided to just take my shower cold.

Um….BRRRRRR? I had flashbacks to cold mornings in Indonesia when we couldn’t get the hot water heater to light and were forced to take cold showers.

I need to continually remind myself to be thankful for the little things…like hot water.

My big brother turned 40 today!

4-0. Crazy. (By the way, that does not make me old; it means there’s a big age gap.)

And…deep breath. I think that’s all. I’m sorta ready to get a good night’s sleep. One more day of VBS…followed by some weekend craziness.

I love my life.

And I love you all.

Thanks for reading. :)

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, coffee, culture shock, family, friends, just life, Maelie

5 Minute Challenge

June 15, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

This is the perfect night for a five minute challenge since I have exactly that before midnight. 😉

It h as been

a good week so far.

It’s Vacation Bible School week, and I’ve had the fun job of leading games for the 2nd-4th graders. I say that with zero sarcasm…I really am enjoying it.

It gives me a little taste of the teacher life I’ve been missing for a couple of years, and I get to hang out with some pretty cool kids.

Maelie has had a fun week, too, spending her mornings in the nursery at church with some new friends.

Then she and I get to spend a little time together before she goes down for her (long) afternoon nap. A change in schedule is def

initely wearing her out.

But she’s finally getting into a big-girl-one-nap routine, and it’s working. Love my girl.

Tonight Tobin and a friend headed to the Cubs/Brewers games and were treated to a rain delay…the game started 1 1/2 hours late. Yeah, he’ll be home sometime “in the morning”. I’m glad he could go, though.

:)

And Maelie and I got to hang out with our sweet friend

tonight, first at her house, and then she came over to watch Confessions of a Shopaholic after Mae went to bed.

We had a great time.

And what a great movie…I seriously laughed out loud through most of it even though I’ve seen it over a dozen times. Watch it if you haven’t seen it.

Fun times…now to publish this thing before it’s “tomorrow”.

G’nite!

Sig

Filed Under: friends, just life
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