tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132584662024-03-13T10:20:03.480-04:00Old, Comfy ShoesAndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.comBlogger372125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-66352637786321335652010-12-11T21:10:00.003-05:002010-12-11T21:17:00.190-05:00It's Christmas time againIt doesn't feel like Christmas should be here. At some points I really enjoy it and other times I try not to think about celebrating Christmas without my mom.<br /><br />It's nice now that we have been at our church for over a year we are making new traditions. I feel like I get to use the hospitality that my mom taught me in creating traditions and events that don't always remind me of her. I get a break from remembering that she's gone during these times. And then I realize that something I did or suggested came from something she did or taught me, and I want to call her and tell her, but I can't.<br /><br />This week has been harder that last week. I think it's slowly sinking in. Most of the time I can't believe she's gone, but sometimes it just hits me that she is. Sometimes I am fine and then I open a card from someone who wrote an incredibly kind note to me and I cry all over again.<br /><br />I am so blessed to have such great friends and family during this time.Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-36537543302894787622010-12-04T20:04:00.002-05:002010-12-04T20:08:45.175-05:00Last year we couldn't find the stocking holders I had gotten for Ben and Jason. We needed two more stocking holders to hold the new stockings for the two new members of our family. We couldn't find them so they had to share with Sarah and I.<br /><br />Today I went home to help pick out the Christmas tree and decorate the house.<br /><br />Today I found the two stocking holders in a box of Christmas stuff.<br /><br />Today we only needed one more.Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-66674522266857228792010-11-30T18:58:00.003-05:002010-11-30T19:11:26.844-05:00Lots of ChangesA lot of things have happened recently.<br /><br />My mom passed away this month.<br /><br />Sometimes it doesn't seem real and other times it seems way too real.<br /><br />My uncle put it well - after 4 years my mom won the battle with cancer and stepped into Heaven.<br /><br />The hope we have in Christ is what is getting me and my family through this. The hope that God's word is true and that He has restored her. The hope that this is not the end, but just another phase of my Mom's life. It's a hope that God has reaffirmed many times that now it feels more like a confidence than a hope.<br /><br />I am going to try and blog again. It helped me process things when my mom was<a href="http://oldcomfyshoes.blogspot.com/2006/09/ill-just-wake-up-from-this-right.html"> diagnosed</a> and I think it could help me process things now.<br /><br />I've realized that through all of this I am seeing people's humanity, to some extent, for the first time. I think going though this pain has opened my eyes to the hurts around me. It's easier to listen to people more. Probably at some point it will get easier to talk too.<br /><br />I started counseling again yesterday. It didn't fix everything, but I think it will help me walk through this grief.<br /><br />Even though this is so hard, God keeps showing me how He is using it. He's pretty good like that. I can't wait to see what He will do next.<br /><br />For now though it's one day at a time.Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-58767756811500845262010-09-04T09:39:00.004-04:002010-09-04T09:59:21.313-04:00And I thought it would be boring...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/TIJQiE3MOaI/AAAAAAAAA3g/BaZD4wMw68c/s1600/IMG_0654.JPG"><br /></a><br />At one point I had thought that following God would be incredibly boring. I was afraid that true obedience to Him would mean that I had to follow a list of commands and walk around sadly singing hymns.<br /><br />What a lie!<br /><br />True obedience to God is one of the most thrilling, exciting, and breath-taking adventures I have ever been on. Walking by faith means that every day I don't know how God is going to work things out. It means trusting that God is either going to provide a path over or move the mountains that are in the way. It means following what He has called me to do and trusting that He is going to take care of the details.<br /><br />Our time here in the city has not been what we expected. We expected that Ben would have no problem finding a second job. It's been a year and no second job. Yet, God has abundantly provided for us and has opened up Ben's schedule to work for the church full-time.<br /><br />We expected that we would rent for the first couple of years and yet God provided a way for us to purchase a beautiful house. Yet at the beginning, God allowed us to experience dealing with a terrible landlord. This opened our eyes to the housing problems in our neighborhood.<br /><br />God provided this building for our church and now the renovation costs are coming back over double what we had budgeted. We aren't sure how God is going to provide the funds for this renovation, but it'll be exciting to see how He works.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/TIJQiE3MOaI/AAAAAAAAA3g/BaZD4wMw68c/s1600/IMG_0654.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/TIJQiE3MOaI/AAAAAAAAA3g/BaZD4wMw68c/s320/IMG_0654.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513057440205912482" border="0" /></a><br />Walking with Christ is an adventure that I wouldn't trade for anything!Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-54425872827946575872010-07-26T18:49:00.002-04:002010-07-26T18:56:12.441-04:00All In...There are very few things in your life that you should throw yourself into with a wild abandon. Most things are best done in moderation - eating candy, exercising, or watching T.V. The Christian life is not one of them. You either throw yourself in and put it all on the line or you might as well take your ball and go home.<br /><br />This past year has been a series of decisions where we've tried to say, "it's all yours God. Take it and use it." And you know what? It's been the BEST year of my life. To live with complete abandon for Jesus... it doesn't get any better than this. There is freedom in just sitting back and asking God, "What next?"<br /><br />It hasn't been an easy year, but wow, has it been rewarding. Seriously people should live like this all the time. If you aren't... you should!Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-2151679604870071502010-03-27T10:56:00.003-04:002010-03-27T11:04:31.124-04:00And then there were 4...Since our house wasn't enough of a zoo, we got a puppy. A puppy that will turn into a giant dog. Because that's how we roll.<br /><br />We got a Rottweiler mix. Yes I know. He's probably going to eat cats and chase children and attack people. But everything we've read and heard says that they are great dogs if you train them well. So the puppy is doing great. He's picking up on training really quickly and he and the cat seem to get along alright.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/S64eNnwVQrI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/V-vkF1w-lxo/s1600/IMG_0348.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/S64eNnwVQrI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/V-vkF1w-lxo/s320/IMG_0348.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453329418151084722" border="0" /></a><br />And I can't wait for the dog to be 70lbs and sitting in Ben's lap....Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-51284251559559421352010-03-20T19:56:00.004-04:002010-03-20T20:07:13.132-04:00BehindWell it's definitely not winter anymore and I have officially not posted in over a month. Even my comments are all screwed up and I don't have the time to fix them.<br /><br />The truth is that things are crazy busy over here. Work is stressful and ministry can be all-consuming. I see why it is hard to have good boundaries when you work with the church. There are so many people who need help. But... I can't help anyone when I am going crazy, so we are trying to figure out a good balance of work, ministry and family time. It's coming...<br /><br />Living in our neighborhood has so many funny things that happen. It's never boring here. Like yesterday we kept a dog who's owner got arrested. (The owner got out of jail and took their dog back.) Two weeks ago we had a local business deliver gravel for behind our garage. We needed 2 tons and they dumped 4 tons. We ordered 3/4 inch gravel and they dumped construction debris. Yes. We got swindled and a one-day project has not ended yet. Hurray for home ownership!<br /><br />We also got a cat. It was my valentine's day present. Her name is Mocha and she likes to have her nose scratch, play behind the curtains, throw up in the basement and pee next to the litter box. We are trying to work on the last two. She has until the end of May or we are going to have to take her back to the shelter. Which would be really sad because she is a pretty cool cat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/S6VieepiFxI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/xoiPCi7Lv2Q/s1600-h/IMG_0189.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 311px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/S6VieepiFxI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/xoiPCi7Lv2Q/s320/IMG_0189.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450871199764715282" border="0" /></a>Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-59225043333264443132010-02-06T10:46:00.003-05:002010-02-06T10:57:03.016-05:00SNOW!So it's still winter. Sigh... It snowed and iced a bunch last night. It really made a big mess of everything. I tried to drive in it today and I saw people sliding off the road and being carried away on stretchers, so I came home. The last time it snowed we had to deal with the CO detector, so it would be reasonable to assume that something would happen during this snow storm, like our furnace would go out. But that's where you would be wrong.<br /><br />Our furnace went out earlier this week. It was planning ahead for the snow storm and decided to go out at 4am on Tuesday. It could have just stopped working, but instead the motor had to burn up which means we woke up to what smelled like an electrical fire coming from our gas furnace. That was fun. Great way to start the morning! Thankfully nothing serious happened, except for the fact that our house dropped to 55 degrees. Brr!<br /><br />Our house is warm now, and the furnace is fixed. I am so glad we bought our home warranty. Best purchase EVER!<br /><br />We planned and booked our summer vacation last week to somewhere warm and tropical with a beach. Someplace where there is no snow. I can't wait!<br /><br />Enjoy your weekend and stay warm and dry wherever you are.Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-62001841553272822812010-01-07T19:43:00.006-05:002010-01-07T20:22:12.355-05:00Iocaine Powder. I'd bet my life on it!Today I almost died. Lately Ben and I have been tired and I've been getting headaches. These couldn't have been related to stress or lack of sleep, no, there must be something more.... After a quick Google search today I determined that it probably was Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning. Sure our house is so leaky and drafty we can't even keep heat inside, much less CO, I was convinced that this had to be the cause.<br /><br />Once the possibility of CO poisoning entered my brain it would not leave. I NEEDED a CO detector. We needed one right now or we may die in our sleep. Never mind that a snow storm had just moved into Ohio. Never mind that we were at a level 1 snow emergency. Never mind that I came home early to work from home because the roads were so bad. We NEEDED a CO detector.<br /><br />I did what any good wife would do. I made Ben bundle up and walk with me down to the hardware store to buy a CO detector. Yes we walked in the snow to the hardware store because I needed a CO detector. Right now! We also needed to stop on our way back at Walgreens, UDF, and the Taco Truck. I mean we were right there! Ben is so patient.<br /><br />We got home, and I quickly read the instructions, and plugged the CO detector in the wall. Within 2 minutes the alarm started screeching (which I have to say made me feel justified in our trek in the snow). Apparently 85 decibels is really, really loud and alarms do not make me think rationally. I started yelling at Ben to hit the reset button, Ben was yelling at me to figure out what the alarm meant, I was yelling back that the instructions said to MOVE TO FRESH AIR AND CALL 911!<br /><br />Because you know, the emergency crews had nothing else to do this snowy evening.<br /><br />Finally Ben took the alarm out to our back porch where it promptly turned off. We figured it was because there was no CO out there (it's WELL ventilated) and there was CO in our house which makes it a deadly, brain-frying gas chamber that we just paid a whole lot of money for ahhh!!!!<br /><br />Actually no. Ben read the instructions more thoroughly than I did and found out that there are two types of alarms on this detector:<br />1. A steady screech that will make you wet yourself; and<br />2. An alarm sequence that goes on for 4 beeps and then off for 5 seconds.<br /><br />Which one do you think alerts you to the power going off and which one alerts you to deadly gas? If I designed an alarm I would make the ear-bleeding, 85 decible, screech an alert to DANGER GET OUT NOW! and the on and off again alarm a gentle reminder that the power is out and you are no longer protected against CO poisoning.<br /><br />But no one asked me when they designed this alarm. This alarm will screech at you so loud that the neighbors can hear, when it loses power. Because that's what I need to hear when my power shuts off - a really, really loud alarm.<br /><br />When you are close to death all it will do is beep at you. Seriously? That's the best alarm for that situation? What the crap, Kiddie Alarms? What the crap?<br /><br />So apparently the outlet we plugged it into has issues. That was it. We weren't close to death, or brain damage. We just got to add "fix the outlet in the bedroom" to our to-do list. Pretty anti-climatic huh?<br /><br />I don't think that I should have to go into work tomorrow. I almost died tonight you know...Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-79809191552159997202010-01-01T14:42:00.005-05:002010-01-01T14:55:29.345-05:00It just depends on the dayYou know how when people have kids, that's all they talk about? I am that way with our new house. Be prepared though, because in a couple months I am getting a kitten and that will be all that I will talk about...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reasons I hate that we bought an old house:</span><br /><ul><li>We hung up curtains and the draft coming through the windows blew them around</li><li>Our queen-sized box spring doesn't fit up our stairs. We are spending today arguing about the best way to cut it to make it fit</li><li>Our "2-car" garage is really a 1.5 car garage. Any car bigger than a Miata wouldn't fit in the second half</li><li>On any given day one of our toilets will probably block up</li><li>Old plumbing</li><li>Poorly placed 2-prong outlets</li><li>Even with all the vents closed upstairs, it's 66 degrees downstairs and 72 degrees upstairs<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reasons I love that we bought an old house:</span><br /><ul><li>3 stained glass windows</li><li>Original hardwood floors in the entire house</li><li>Original wood doors and woodwork</li><li>Large kitchen</li><li>1,500 sq ft in our price range</li><li>A front porch with room for a swing</li><li>A garage off an alley instead of off the street<br /></li><li>The neighborhood</li><li>Large windows</li><li>A neighborhood with mature trees<br /></li></ul>Generally I love my house, but sometimes it makes we want to live in a cookie-cutter condo. Anyone want to come wrestle a box spring upstairs?Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-9216776706470847662009-12-31T16:03:00.003-05:002009-12-31T16:23:15.075-05:002009 - The busy year2009 will be know forever as the year that flew by. Pretty much anything that could change did. Well except that we didn't have a baby. I don't think I could have handled this year with a baby.<br /><br />Here's a random list of things we did this year:<br /><br />- <a href="http://oldcomfyshoes.blogspot.com/2009/01/ice-storm.html">Survived an ice storm in Kentucky</a><br /><br />- <a href="http://oldcomfyshoes.blogspot.com/2009/03/for-sale-one-wicked-cool-car.html">Tried to sell my car</a> (it's still for sale)<br /><br />- <a href="http://oldcomfyshoes.blogspot.com/2009/05/congratulations.html">Ben Graduated from Seminary</a><br /><br />- Applied for a million jobs<br /><br />- <a href="http://oldcomfyshoes.blogspot.com/2009/07/hurray.html">Switched jobs</a><br /><br />- <a href="http://oldcomfyshoes.blogspot.com/2009/07/moving-at-speed-of-change.html">Moved</a> <a href="http://oldcomfyshoes.blogspot.com/2009/12/its-called-character.html">twice</a><br /><br />- <a href="http://oldcomfyshoes.blogspot.com/2009/11/woo-hoo.html">Bought a house</a><br /><br />- <a href="http://oldcomfyshoes.blogspot.com/2009/10/living-right-here-right-now.html">Got involved with an urban church plant</a><br /><br />- Started leading a Bible Study for Middle School Girls, and liked it!<br /><br />2009 has been an awesome year. Ben and I have been praying and waiting for this time for a long time. We finally get to do what God called us to do several years ago. We feel incredibly blessed and we think people are crazy for not wanting to move to this neighborhood.<br /><br />Happy New YearAndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-19902135980304036212009-12-27T12:39:00.008-05:002009-12-27T13:48:13.454-05:00New Home PicturesI thought it was time to show pictures of our new home decorated for Christmas.<br /><br />Before:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/SzecV6WGAXI/AAAAAAAAA2E/_co02f8DFOA/s1600-h/HPIM4915.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/SzecV6WGAXI/AAAAAAAAA2E/_co02f8DFOA/s320/HPIM4915.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419972576816791922" border="0" /></a>After:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/SzedTNZicMI/AAAAAAAAA2c/OWl_pKGHyLs/s1600-h/DSC00178.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/SzedTNZicMI/AAAAAAAAA2c/OWl_pKGHyLs/s320/DSC00178.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419973629903532226" border="0" /></a>Other end of the living room:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/SzedwTV4tPI/AAAAAAAAA2k/lgObDIa7p74/s1600-h/DSC00175.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/SzedwTV4tPI/AAAAAAAAA2k/lgObDIa7p74/s320/DSC00175.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419974129715033330" border="0" /></a>Dining Room before:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/Szec1KE78OI/AAAAAAAAA2U/YgwsI2o1o-8/s1600-h/HPIM4912.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/Szec1KE78OI/AAAAAAAAA2U/YgwsI2o1o-8/s320/HPIM4912.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419973113615741154" border="0" /></a>After:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/SzeeKPh6veI/AAAAAAAAA2s/xdY4IZIrOlk/s1600-h/DSC00174.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/SzeeKPh6veI/AAAAAAAAA2s/xdY4IZIrOlk/s320/DSC00174.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419974575368355298" border="0" /></a>Here are some pictures of our Christmas dinner table:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/SzerTHOZacI/AAAAAAAAA20/Ze9_NTB_Axo/s1600-h/DSC00114.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/SzerTHOZacI/AAAAAAAAA20/Ze9_NTB_Axo/s320/DSC00114.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419989021408979394" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/Szer1HJZoKI/AAAAAAAAA28/vMIKgwrqiKM/s1600-h/DSC00116.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/Szer1HJZoKI/AAAAAAAAA28/vMIKgwrqiKM/s320/DSC00116.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419989605503574178" border="0" /></a>I tied different ribbons on each of the glasses so you could keep track of your glass throughout the day.<br /><br />I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-13244900447941745352009-12-13T21:02:00.002-05:002009-12-13T21:13:06.772-05:00It's called character...If you owned a house and the basement leaked, what would you do? Would you<br /><br />A) grade the soil around the house to cause the water to run AWAY from the house?<br />B) fix the broken downspouts so the water doesn't pour into your basement?<br />C) drill holes in the basement floor so the water can drain out quicker?<br /><br />If you answered C you probably owned this house before us. There are so many great things about this house that I love and then there are things like the holes in the basement floor that make me scratch my head. There are so many things that we want to fix/upgrade that I don't even know where the list begins. Thankfully none of them must be taken care of RIGHT now and we can wait until we have money to fix them. Otherwise my mom may have gotten a downspout for Christmas.<br /><br />Speaking of Christmas we got our tree up, but have not had time to decorate it. I knew that being a pastor's wife would be busy but moving and being a pastor's wife is just plain crazy. No one should move around Christmas time. Moving has not gone like I planned. Our box spring doesn't fit up our stairs, the back porch is filled with boxes and a cold crawled in my head and died. So needless to say I am full of grump.<br /><br />Anyone want to come clean and unpack boxes?Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-17607144438770234932009-11-30T19:58:00.002-05:002009-11-30T20:01:34.852-05:00Woo Hoo!We bought a house today. We are now homeowners.<br /><br />We move on Saturday. Which is not soon enough. I just cleared out a cupboard in my kitchen and found a family of cockroaches. Ughhhh! I still have the shivers from that discovery.<br /><br />Ben just pointed out that cockroaches are supposed to be cleaner than than the inside of your mouth. Doesn't matter. I hates them!Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-28186894769559160262009-11-04T20:40:00.003-05:002009-11-04T20:45:18.815-05:00New title...I think I may have to change the name of this blog to "Old News that Andi Never Writes about".<br /><br />We are buying a house. And it's sucking everything out of us. All our time. All our money. All our laughs.<br /><br />I've decided that buying a car is much easier than buying a house. For one cars are not covered in asbestos and two they don't have leaky basements. I think I may decide to live in my car.....<br /><br />The plus side to all of this is that I will get a cat out of it. This is what she looks like:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/SvIt5qcAGLI/AAAAAAAAA10/WFGVmTpPuCg/s1600-h/Cat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/SvIt5qcAGLI/AAAAAAAAA10/WFGVmTpPuCg/s200/Cat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400429371838175410" border="0" /></a>Time to go relax and not think about loans and inspections and moving!Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-53441606031923593912009-10-18T20:48:00.005-04:002009-10-18T21:00:57.721-04:00Who lives there anyway?Everyday I drive past this house that has a sign in the front yard that reads,<br /><div style="text-align: center;">"Fur Room for Rent"<br /><div style="text-align: left;">and up until recently I thought that they were trying to get someone to rent a room decorated in fur. Zebra walls, leopard bed, fuzzy fur-like carpet. I couldn't figure out who would want to rent a room covered with fur. A wannabe rapper for his new music video? I have no idea. It took me two months to realized that they were trying to rent out a FURNISHED room. Which makes a whole lot more sense and seems much more marketable. I still can't help but think that it has a zebra print bedspread though.<br /><br />Speaking of random things I've seen since moving here... the other day I was sitting in my car at a park on my lunch break. There was some event going on and there all these adult women dressed up like bumble bees. Which wouldn't have seemed to odd if there had been any kids there - but there wasn't. It was all adults. Anyway, the lady bee comes walking out to her car and throws her car door open into my car. WHILE I AM SITTING IN IT! She doesn't stop or even seem to notice it, she just starts digging in her car. Of course I get out and point out that she just hit my car. The one I am trying to sell. She apologized and we looked at the car. I don't think she was sorry that it happened, I think she was sorry she got caught. It's a good thing she drives a car with a plastic door.....<br /><br />What I am realizing is that just like in <a href="http://oldcomfyshoes.blogspot.com/2008/07/random-things-i-have-seen-go-past-my.html">Kentucky</a>, people are strange...<br /></div></div>Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-43919316485387721712009-10-04T11:34:00.002-04:002009-10-04T11:48:27.808-04:00Living Right Here, Right Now.Yesterday something happened that reminded me of the importance of living in this neighborhood. Our church follows the <a href="http://ccda.org/">Christian Community Development Association</a> (CCDA) model for ministry. There are three things that are essential to christian community development:<br /><br />- Relocation - living in the community so that the issues become "our" problems and successes instead of just "yours".<br /><br />- Redistribution - working toward justice for all people regardless of their race or status.<br /><br />- Reconciliation - people to God and people to each other.<br /><br />Yesterday I saw again why relocation is so important. I was locking up the church building after a group of volunteers helped clean it when I noticed a woman in a wheelchair in our parking lot. Because I was here and was walking to my home, I got to meet her, hear her story and pray with her. She's going through a rough time right now and I hope that yesterday she realized that God loves her.<br /><br />I love this neighborhood. The people here are so open. It is so encouraging to be able to spread God's love just by walking home. This neighborhood is helping me learn what community really looks like. It's messy and inconvient and it doesn't fit in a program or time frame, but it's good and encouraging and I think this is how we are supposed to live.Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-33671686577672109362009-09-26T18:02:00.005-04:002009-09-26T18:12:31.941-04:00What I found on my wallA nail in the wall in our apartment:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/Sr6QUL52EmI/AAAAAAAAA1s/MI-Owoq0QKk/s1600-h/HPIM4798.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VenZgr_-V8Y/Sr6QUL52EmI/AAAAAAAAA1s/MI-Owoq0QKk/s320/HPIM4798.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385900880848884322" border="0" /></a><br />I wonder what was going through the person's mind as they were trying to hang the picture that hung on this nail. Were they thinking that it wouldn't be that hard? When they realized that it was crooked, did they think that they could just put the nail a little lower? Did they lose their level? Were they super frustrated with their wife who couldn't decide where they wanted the picture? How many curse words were said when putting this nail in?<br /><br />Either way it entertains me!Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-931182851486342332009-09-22T17:21:00.003-04:002009-09-22T17:32:42.088-04:00DramaSigh. There have been about a million things to blog about and I haven't had time to just sit and write for a while. The big news is that I love being here! Yeah, our neighborhood is a little rough, but it's a seriously fun place to live.<br /><br />What I don't like is our landlord drama. We are currently depositing our rent with the county until he makes the repairs he needs to make. We have no idea what happened to him. He hasn't been by to pick up our neighbor's rent, our certified mail to him has gone unclaimed and he's changed his phone number. Our water was almost shut off because it hasn't been paid since February and it took Ben talking to several people at the city to keep it on. He didn't show up for the mediation appointment we had and he hasn't returned anyone's calls. We have no idea what's going on.<br /><br />What I do know is that I am getting tired of washing my clothes at a laundry mat when I have a washer right in my basement. I'm ready to find a new place....Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-37600479881480150142009-09-05T17:52:00.002-04:002009-09-05T17:58:54.160-04:00So Ben got our internet working... kind of... and we realized why we got such a deal on it. It's slower than dial up. Like seriously it's slow. You can't watch hulu, forget loading a web-page with animations or sound, and be prepared to wait an hour just to get the phone company's web-site to load. This speed shouldn't even be called broadband. So we got sucked in and had to upgrade to the normal priced plan and we still have a one year contract. Grrr.Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-75940023497166182442009-08-22T17:20:00.003-04:002009-08-22T17:29:53.426-04:00New HomeWe still don't have working phone lines, which means we still don't have working internet, which means I have to come down to the church office to get my internet fix. It sucks.<br /><br />We moved into a place where most people try to move away from. It's a neighborhood of police sirens, fights in the park and broken homes. There's trash everywhere and everything is run down. We can't use our washing machine because someone poured cement down the pipes. There's a feeling of hopelessness here that's evident in the surrondings.<br /><br />But our neighborhood is full of some of the most friendliest people I have ever met. Everyone sits out on the porch because they don't have A/C and everyone knows everyone. I can walk down my street and introduce myself to anyone and have a conversation. The church here is respected and a part of the community. The kids here go out of their way to spend time with Ben and me. Just this past week we had some events for the local kids and there are some great kids that live here. So much potential!<br /><br />I am excited to live in this neighborhood. These people are loved by God and He has a plan for their lives. I just hope that Ben and I get to be a part of it...Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-24871525316565024482009-08-15T15:51:00.002-04:002009-08-15T15:53:58.863-04:00We're in Ohio now. And we are staying busy. And are fighting with our landlord to get basic things like working phone jacks and outlets working. More later....Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-32665149360846964582009-08-06T14:47:00.003-04:002009-08-06T14:59:48.402-04:00Two days to go....I quit my job today. Ok so maybe I quit it two weeks ago - but today was my last day. There were maybe some tears.<br /><br />We move in TWO DAYS!!! We finally have everything from the apartment to the utilities to the moving crew figured out. By moving crew I mean our family and friends. Who like to spend their days moving our stuff and getting paid in Pizza. These people are hard to find. If you are one of them I promise that we we be organized. We won't be packing while you wait for us to finish so you can walk that box to the truck. We'll have everything in boxes when you get here and will have and a plan on how to load it all up. Please show up on Saturday. I whine a lot if I have to carry a couch.<br /><br />We are trying really hard not to buy anything until we are sure that we ABSOLUTELY need it. Because moving that extra bar of soap may be the thing that pushes us over the edge. It may be the item that causes all of the moving truck's tires to explode. It may be the item that causes the box to go from heavy to TOO HEAVY. I'm not sure why, but it is super important that we wait to buy that soap until we get to Ohio. Also it's kind of fun to use the soap we brought back from the hotel. It's like every day is a vacation. A vacation where you go to work and you pack up stuff when you get home.<br /><br />Since we aren't buying anything it means that we are making like a million trips to the store to buy things. I refused to grocery shop - because we needed to eat what we have at home. So instead we've been to the grocery every day this week. It's a fun and European way to live. We only buy fresh peanut butter at the market every day. Everyone should do this. I think it may extend your life. Which reminds me that I need to get paper towels....Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-58688658119358214482009-07-30T19:04:00.002-04:002009-07-30T19:08:12.273-04:00You say 'Mater...Two days ago I came home to find 5 garden tomatoes on our driveway, near our backdoor. When I asked Ben about them he said, "I figured you knew why they were there."<br /><br />So some mystery person anonymously dropped off 5 tomatoes at our house and we have no idea why. We've called all two of the friends that we have and they didn't leave them... We weren't going to eat them, but there is nothing better than garden tomatoes and I am trying to live on the edge a little...and well.... We ate one with dinner. Now I am trying to not imagine my stomach eating itself.Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13258466.post-9002668958144487762009-07-28T18:22:00.006-04:002009-08-02T09:09:53.793-04:00Just call me Andi the SerfSo that apartment that seemed so great... well.... let's take a quiz and see what you think.<br /><br />Choose from the following the reasonable things to put into a lease:<br />A) Tenant will pay for any plumbing work that needs done<br />B) Tenant will pay $120 every time the landlord has to come look at the plumbing<br />C) Tenant will pay for any damage done to windows or doors including damage caused by severe weather<br />D) All of the above<br /><br />So raise your hand if you would go with D. You would make a great landlord in Ohio! In fact I think I know someone you could work for.<br /><br />Short of the lease changing, we won't being signing anytime soon and may be back to being homeless in 2 weeks....Hopefully something works out soon....<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Edit to add: I think we worked things out. We may just need to change the wording of the lease a bit...</span>Andihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532379815893426900noreply@blogger.com0