Progress - Part 2

Above and Below: Jim and Jay working on the Drywall.

After Jim sanded the drywall mud...

Whoa.

Help!

Ugh. The funniest thing just happened. It was slightly embarrassing, but not really. I don't embarrass easily. But, just for kicks - I'll tell you anyway. It's rather quite funny.

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I really have to go. I mean, bad. I hold it all through lunch and am pretty sure that, as soon as I walk through the Library doors, I am making a bee-line to the Ladies Restroom. And so I do.

And I am happy.

Until I realize there is no, absolutely NO toiletpaper. DANGER! Options fly through my mind. I can yell "HELP!" over and over and bang on the walls until someone hears me like I did that other time I had no toiletpaper (I was without a roomate and the guy from upstairs happened to be the only one who heard me "Sarah? Are you...okay?" Why me? "Uh, yeah...can you get a girl...please?" He did). Or, call Jim. He always knows what to do. Then, it hits me. Call the school, have them transfer me to Megan (the Library Staff) and quickly murmur. "I'm in the bathroom and there's no toiletpaper...Help!"

I opt for option #3 although option #1 was quite tempting.

The phone rings. The receptionist answers. I feel kind of sheepish talking on the phone in the John. But, what else is a girl to do? As I speak, I'm sure the receptionist is aware of the strange echo on my end of the line. But, she never asks about it. For that, I am glad.

Megan answers her phone. Phew. "Megan! This is Sarah...I'm in the bathroom."

"I thought I heard an echo..."

"Yeah...I know. There's no toiletpaper!" Laughter follows. Well, it's more like the Girly Giggles. I have them, too.

Seconds later, Megan approaches the door to my stall and tosses two rolls over the top. I have a difficult time trying to catch them, not dropping my phone in the you-know-what.

Another lesson: Look before you land.

Progress

Here is our house...we've made some progress. This used to be the old Kitchen/Dining Room - with some of the appliances cornered in the mudroom. But, soon it will be the living room.

What you're seeing in the way back of the room used to be the porch. We've opened it up some so it will flow a little better...to look a little bigger. We took out the drop ceiling, so we have a foot more of room!

This next picture is the view from the old porch area. To Jim's right (your left) is the mudroom where we currently store the refridgerator, stove, sink, washer and dryer. Eek. It will soon be a Laundry Room only, but I'll post pictures of that later. To your right (Jim's left) the big open space in the wall with plastic is going to be the entryway to the new kitchen/dining room. Now, we call it the Blue Room. There will be a short countertop coming from the right side forming a sort of "bar" for more seating and social time during food prep. I like that idea!

Below is a better, more straight-on view of the entryway into the Blue Room (soon to be Kitchen/Dining Room).

We've got a long way to go! But we're seeing progress and we like that!

Two (very) Good Books...

...I have read this month.

Click the pictures for more info.

I have Lived a Thousand Years

Four Perfect Pebbles

They will leave you thinking...really thinking.

Will the REAL Nancy Drew Please Step Forward

So, Laura - my Pastor's wife - got this sweet trench that I totally adored and complimented at least three times. Needing a nice fall coat of my own I asked her how she would feel if I searched for my own trendy trench. She said she would love it and that she got hers at Target. I said that imitation is the highest form of flattery and that I would go to Target as soon as possible.

So, I did. First the one in Ankeny, then Ames the next day...and finally the Urbandale Target.

I found it...in my size. Oh, the joy!

Don't we look like Nancy Drew's? (I said Nancy DREW's not NANCY's. Ugh.)

Jim is the Awesomest...Seriously.

First, my husband is awesome because he passed the super hard test about air conditioning units (itty-bitty ones and humongo ones - the Universal, they call it) and all the poison therein.

Second, my husband is awesomer because he did the Happy Dance to celebrate.

Third, my husband is the awesomest because he let me take pictures of the Happy Dance and obviously knows what I'm going to do with those pictures.

Post them here.

Cello Lesson #2

It's not SO bad, really! Ask Jim. I can seriously rock out on Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars or the "other" version entitled: Grandma Rides a Motorcycle. Anyway, today was an intriguing lesson. I found that my bowhold - if that's what you call it- is utterly horrible! Well, it's not so bad for a beginner, but it's not so good for anyone who wants to learn to play their instrument correctly either. I'm too stiff. I'm putting all the weight on the wrong fingers, etc. Not that any of this would mean much to you, but seriously, I've got some work to do and I'm ready and rearin' to go! Just wanted to brief you on my new beginnings in the world of strings! Ta ta!

Something New

The CELLO!

I'm so overly excited about this! Yesterday was my first lesson on the Cello (Thank you, Levi for letting me experiement with your precious instrument!) So far, I love it. I'm anticipating that it will only get better. So far, I've seemed to squeeze out the D scale and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. My first lesson went very well and I'm hoping that this new hobby will soon evolve into a passion. The cello carries such a beautiful tenor tone...I've dreamt of learning to play it for years!

So, my goal is to use this to honor and glorify God! I'm hoping it will be a blessing (once I can actually make it sound decent!) and that God will use it as a springboard in Germany as well! Pray that I will pick it up quickly and well and that God will be glorified! As my friend Stefanie put it, "I'll have a new voice for the Lord!"

Why did the Cow Cross the Road?

Last night wasn't my only experience with a State Trooper on Hwy 65.

Yesterday morning was just the beginning of my very eventful day. First, we were running late. Second, there was a traffic hold up because there were cows on the road. Oh, Iowa - gotta love it. (Hey, that was this years State Fair theme!)

I was about the 5th car from the cows, Jim was right behind me. Unfortunately there was a semi in front of me, so I actually didn't even know about the cows until I saw them saunter up the hill to the other side of the road.

What I DID see though, was a little more entertaining. The State Trooper (hat and all) comes running down the ditch that separates the highway, then, all of a sudden he runs - really runs - like his feet are on fire back up the hill to his car. Comical, but confusing.

I call Jim on his cell. "What's happening?" He, with a better view of the drama, explains that one of the bulls in the herd charged at the Trooper (hence the running like his feet were on fire). When the Trooper retreated, so did the bull and all his lady friends alike (that's when they sauntered up the hill). So, traffic resumed normal flow and all were happy.

About 2 minutes later, I heard the tail end of Brad Erlick's traffic report on WHO radio. "Cows loose on Hwy 65 near Bondurant...be careful, you don't want to his one of those Bison."

I called Jim again. "Did you hear that? Since when do we call cows Bison?" I figured The Hubby would know being that he worked on a Buffalo Ranch for awhile (and he looked really good in his BuffaloBoy hat).

"Uh, since never." he answered. He heard Brad's Cow faux pas, too and suggested that maybe he meant to say Bovine.

Then I began to daydream the scariness of Bison loose on the Hwy. Cows, I can handle. Buffalo...only in the confines of the Dreesman Buffalo Ranch (where Jim used to sport his ranching skills). I'll use the opportunity to make a plug for the ranch. Go to their website...if you like good buffalo burgers, brats etc. - they got'em.

3 Violations

So sad. Yesterday I got pulled over by a Trooper on 65 and cited me with warnings (whew) for 3 viloations.

1. Going 71 in a 65 zone. - I had it on cruise at what I thought was a comfortable and jusifiable speed...I never go more than 5 over - musta been going down a hill.
2. The little light over my license plate was out. - never would have known that if it wasn't for the friendly (and he was) officer.
3. Improper lane usage. -so I swerved a tiny bit - and he thought I was drunk. *sigh* At the time I couldn't remember why in the world I would swerve, but later -while sharing my "adventure" with Jim - I remembered I was adjusting the temperature.

The cool part about it all was that I got to sit in the trooper's car. He must have been listening to this song called "He's a Liar" before stopping me. I saw the track on this fancy, schmancy dashboard thingy. Now, before you think the worst about why exactly I was sitting the trooper's car, let me tell you that it was the FRONT seat, not the BACK and it was so that I could sign his computer thing...they do all electronic now, I guess. And he (my new trooper friend) was very conversational. There was a dude with him, who must have been in training or something. He didn't say a word.

While he was filling out all the paperwork on his flashy little computer, I said (to break the silence) "The last time I was in a police car was when my dad was dropping me off at a high school dance when I was 14." This little tid-bit immediately caught his attention (in a good way).

"Who is your dad?" I guess he thought he would know him. He didn't.

Overall, it was not such a scary experience. I've always thought of troopers and police officers as friendly people doing their part to keep me safe. The only time I was ever afraid when I got pulled over was when it was actually my dad who did the pulling-over. I was shaking in my boots, let me tell you.

Anyway, from this whole experience I learned that I should always keep my car clean. That was my lesson (oh, and that 71 is too fast in a 65, I need a new light bulb and no more swerving - even just a little). I never thought I would be so motivated by a State Trooper to remove all sign of junk food indulgences, random strewn papers and total disorganization. Funny thing is: the car was actually cleaned out the day before...all candy wrappers (just 3 and they were the little mini-chocolates), papers, etc. appeared that day. Oh, and it probably didn't help that I had about 4 bags and a cello in the backseat. I wonder if he thought I was transporting an illegal in there?

Photography Blog!

I'm elated. Yes, elated. I've been doing a lot of photo shoots with friends lately (including a wedding - my FIRST wedding!) and I've discovered how much I really, really enjoy it! So, it's not just flowers I like to get pictures of...it's people, too!

Don't worry, I'm not going to abandon this blog - it will live on. BUT, I now have an additional blog for pictures only! Foliage, Families, Couples, Kids and everything in between.

So, visit it! Click the picture above!

Jim Approves This Message