It’s a sunny bright Monday morning.  So far, I’ve exercised, showered, had breakfast and watered my container garden.  And guess what…I have little baby zucchini!!  They’re so cute!  And as that is the extent of what I have to say about today, so far, here’s a quick recap of the weekend:

Friday, I goofed off around the house and ran some errands.  Eric got home about 4:35, and we left for Cedarville shortly thereafter for Chris’ birthday party, arriving before Chris!  We had pizza, played with Karen’s puppy and the girls and talked a lot.  Kathy & Alan brought Michelle’s three girls over for a bit, so we held the babies and the little girls played.  We stayed really late, so it was nearly 11:00 before we got home and to bed. 

Saturday, I read the newspaper and started a new book.  Eric worked on taking apart a computer in the loft to give it to my brother.  So he spent much of the day organizing its systems and getting it ready to go.  I’m very glad that it went away because we never used it (we have 3 other working computers, and at least 3 that don’t work!) and because now I get the other desk in the loft so I’ll have a wired internet connection for my laptop and a real desk (so I can get rid of my crappy Sauder one in the other room which is old and broken).  Yippee!!

Anyway, we spent Saturday evening at the Edlund’s with all the family and all the kids.  Too many fun stories.

• I actually managed to pick up and hold both twins at once.  This was a major feat for me!
• I discovered, not surprisingly, that I’m not very good at cornhole.  But it is fun to play.
• The little girls are learning to share…which meant there were a few brief meltdowns.  Who knew that little plastic boats and cups were such valuable commodities!?!
• Kayla still cries whenever she is held by Karen’s Erik.  No one knows why.  But it’s a fun picture to take every time we get together!!
• And for anyone who wants to see (or download) the pictures we took that night, Eric’s website has them ready to go.  You can download the entire group or only the ones you want.  Let me know if you have issues seeing them or getting them.

Sunday was very laid back.  I was incredibly tired from the two parties and running back and forth.  I had trouble focusing at church.  After church, we grilled pork chops.  I talked to my mom for a while.  Then Eric & I both read for much of the rest of the day.  I finished the book I’d started on Saturday morning.  Eric is 3/4 of the way through the book he started.  We got to bed about 10. 

I’m tired.  Even though I was in bed about 9:30 (I read for a while before turning out the lights), I woke up barely functional.  So it’s been a slow morning so far.  Then again…it’s Friday.  It can be as slow as I want!

Yesterday, I vacuumed the upstairs and completely did the ironing clothes (wash, dry, iron, hang up), as well as finishing the little chores that are sort of daily things (clean up kitchen, water plants, make bed, etc.). 

Eric got home late last night because his box coater (the machine he spends a good portion of his time with) broke down just before the end of the day.  He fixed it, but didn’t get home until 6:30 as a result. 

I read Harry Potter Book 6 (okay, just the end really) while I waited for him.  Some thoughts on Harry Potter:

• The final book comes out a week from tomorrow.  I can hardly wait! 
• I have a copy reserved from the Lennox Barnes & Noble.  I saved my B&N gift card from Christmas just to buy this book!
• I will pick up my copy very early on Saturday morning. I will NOT be showing up at 12:01 am to buy it.  I like the books, but midnight sales are not my thing.  And the books will still be there in the morning! 
• I’m SO glad this is the final book of the series.  It is high time we find out how this story concludes!
• I do not think Harry dies at the end. 

Today I have to get a birthday card for my brother and wrap his present.  We’re having a party for him tonight in Cedarville, so hopefully, Eric is not too late tonight.   I’d go down earlier if I had a way to get there without having two cars there.  Oh well…I guess I’ll just wait patiently…’cause I’m so good at that.

Why is it, that we are never happy with what we have right this minute?

When school is out, I’m bored.  During the school year, I’m always ready for the next break.  Women, in general, seem to struggle with this, I think.  My single friends are sure they’re missing out because they aren’t married.  My married friends wonder if they missed out on the real fun because they got married.  The ones with kids wish they didn’t have them.  Those without kids are sure that children are the only thing missing in their lives.  We aren’t satisfied with our bodies, our possessions, our husbands/boyfriends, our hobbies.  Not, of course, that we’re dissatisfied with all of these things all the time.  But I think that most women struggle here, in at least one area, almost every day.

It’s an “I’m left out” syndrome, a discontented attitude that says that God is withholding something great from me that he’s given to everyone else.  And if we only had that one thing…then we’d be happy, content, satisfied.  Then we’d be able to give, serve, love God and others, and on and on and on.  And of course, it never happens.  There’s always another thing to want, another life-step that we haven’t reached (a second child, perhaps).  And so instead of being content and joy-filled Christians, our discontent grows until we’re bitter and frustrated and no one wants to be around us (thankfully, it only rarely gets that far!)

This summer, I’ve been thinking a lot about this topic for some reason.  I sense it in myself all too often, and it’s hard not to give in to these thought processes.  And since, I don’t have anything worth talking about regarding my activities yesterday (I ran errands, cleaned floors, made dinner, etc.), this is what’s come out.

What do you think?

I wish I had something interesting to say today, but I really don’t.

I cleaned my bathrooms yesterday.  I also went for a bike ride (man it was hot!), read a magazine and a book (not at the same time), and played on the computer some.

In the evening, we had supper, Karen called for a bit, and we watched Good Eats and Eureka.  Here’s an odd thing about that, though.  Eureka airs on the Sci-Fi network, a really sharp, smart show about a town of super-smart scientists and the new sheriff in town.  It is followed by ECW, the new name for professional wrestling.  Now why would Sci-Fi play professional wrestling?  And why would it play immediately after one of the nerdiest shows on television?  Crazy programming people…

Today I plan to work on my floors: vacuum, sweep, mop, etc.  And I need to run to the grocery for a few things.  Other than that, I don’t know what I’ll do.

See…nothing interesting to say today.  Oh well!

The Long Wait…

Yesterday morning, I called the Firestone that Karen recommended to ask if they would be able to work on my car. Just after lunch, I took the car in.  Here is the story of my afternoon:

1:15 – Dropped off my car.

• I waited in the waiting room for about 30-40 minutes while they brought the car in to see what needed to be done.
• I read a book (Every Thought Captive by Jerusha Clark) and watched a Discovery Channel show about Champ, the American version of the Loch Ness Monster. 

1:55 – They called me to the counter to chat.

• I brought my car in to have the brakes checked. 
• The brakes were shot.  Completely.  Front pair needed new pads and rotors.  Back pair needed cleaned badly.
• They also found that I needed a radiator system flush.
• They also discovered that my serpentine belt was badly cracked and needed replaced.
• Total cost (est.):  $500-$79 (a coupon)=$400
• I told them to just do whatever needed done.

2:00 – I left the Firestone to amuse myself for the couple of hours they figured it would take to fix my car.

• I called Eric to let him know the damage assessment and that he probably wouldn’t need to pick me up after he got done with work.
• I crossed Hilliard-Rome Road (quite a feat, even with a crosswalk there!)
• I called my mom and chatted with her for about 20-30 minutes.
• I went to Famous Footwear (nothing in my size that I really needed), Michaels (bought some yarn), Old Navy (nothing fits me there), Bed Bath & Beyond (just to cool off, really).
• In Michaels, the Firestone calls me.  They found another problem.  The calipers on my brakes are also shot. I’d been leaking break fluid (no wonder my brakes had been spongy!).  Did they want me to get that taken care of?  Um…YES!  (additional cost: $150 for calipers)
• It was freakin’ hot outside yesterday.  Freakin’ hot. 
• Stopped at the Giant Eagle to buy a bottle of water.

4:15 – I arrive back at the Firestone.

• Someone had turned the channel to ESPN.  I don’t know how people watch that channel continuously.  Jim Rome was somewhat interesting to watch, but the rest of it is just noise.
• I read my book some more. I was getting bored of my book.

5:15 – The customer service guys called me back up.

• There was another problem.  They had two calipers.  One was broken when it came out of the box.  Another one was being sent over from a different Firestone.  It would take a while longer. 
• They were really sorry.  They were discounting my bill for the wait. (No argument from me!)
• No problem, I said.  I went outside to call Eric (and to give my butt a rest…not terribly comfortable chairs!).  He’d been home since 4:00.  I told him they would hopefully have it done by 6:00. 
• I went back inside to wait.
• I read the newspaper.
• I started to read a magazine.
• ESPN was getting really annoying and repetitive.  All the shows talk about the same things.  I’d stopped caring about Bonds not showing for the home-run derby hours before. 

6:00 – They call my name again.

• There is another problem.  They take me back to the floor.
• The second caliper was also broken in the box.  
• They’d spent most of the last hour trying to fix it themselves.  They had two guys working on my car.  They were so sorry.  They “feel this [holding index finger and thumb about 1/4 inch apart] big.”  They won’t be able to fix it tonight.  They will be discounting my bill another 10% for my inconvenience.
• I assure them that it is not a big deal.  I thank them profusely for all their efforts.  I felt bad that they were being so helpful and their own parts were sabotaging them.
• The manager offered to give me a ride if I needed one (I didn’t).  He offered the office phone if I needed to make a call (I had my cell).  I again thanked him profusely.  They had been more than kind all day.
• I called Eric who came and picked me up.

6:15 – I arrived home.

Moral of the story: If you know anyone on the west side who needs their car worked on, I would highly recommend the guys at the Firestone on Hilliard-Rome.  They worked their butts off to fix my car, didn’t try to cheat me, didn’t treat me like a dumb girl, and felt awful when things went so wrong.

PS – I picked my car up at 7:30 this morning.  They actually stayed late last night to fix it.  I think I’ll send them a thank-you note or something.  They earned it.

PPS – The final cost was $573.23.  Not bad for all that went wrong and for a 200,000 mile car!  That should get me another 100,000, I think!

Today, I’ll do the weekend in reverse, I think.  (I’m such an innovator! )

Sunday was pretty low key.  We ended the day with the movie Blood Diamond.  Eric had gotten it from Netflix, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it.  Bad things: R-rated, LOTS of gore/violence/swearing, my bad dreams last night were directly related to the movie.  Good things: Hard as it was to watch, it was really a well-done movie.  The violence was not gratuitous; that is really how people all around the world are living right now.  It was heart-breaking and redemptive all at once.  But it left me with a huge heaviness, and no real ideas about what to do about it.  I mean, it’s one thing for the Hollywood-types to raise awareness (I’m all for that!), but what can one small person in Columbus really do about African refugees/civil war/child armies/conflict diamonds/etc.  Seemed a bit like I was just supposed to feel guilty for being an affluent American while so many lived in chaos, violence, poverty and crime.  But there weren’t many ideas for how to really help. 

Okay, other than the movie, I did laundry and read the newspaper.  We watched a couple of MacGyver episodes in the afternoon.  Karen dropped by in the evening to give me a coupon for a car place nearby.  I MUST get my brakes looked at today.  They were making some BAD noises on Saturday.

As for Saturday, we went rollerblading in the afternoon.  For the evening, we drove to Beavercreek to go to the Class of 95 “reunion” dinner.  It was fun to see everyone and catch up.  They asked about Michelle, so I updated them on the twins and Sierra.  They were all duly impressed!  We didn’t stay very late (9:15-ish).  I think some of the others went someplace else for a while, but we came home so we’d be ready for church.

Friday night, I think we hung out on the couch and watched television.  Nothing terribly exciting. 

The Oddest Day…

• I woke up earlier than usual even though I’d gone to bed later than usual.
• It was another gray, rainy day – we got over .5 inches of rain!!
• I went to get my oil changed.  WalMart has all these signs about using a stand outside to place your order.  Then half the time they don’t have a stand out.  Or they don’t have anyone manning the stand.  It’s a huge guessing game: Where will I place the order for my oil change???
• I only bought a couple of extra things at WalMart.  I was proud of myself.
• I stopped in to say hello at the daycare center owned by our next-door neighbors.  It’s a nice place.  I’m glad I dropped by. 
• I went with Karen in the afternoon to Target for a bit.  We were not terribly successful, but it was a fun jaunt.
• Eric got home about 5:00.
• At about 5:30, someone knocked on our door selling something.  I bought one (a coupon book supporting a wheelchair basketball team).
• At 6:00, another salesperson knocked on our door.  He didn’t explain clearly what he wanted, but it turned out he was a vacuum salesman.  Since I’d committed myself long before I figured out exactly what he wanted to do, I let him in.  He vacuumed my floors and couch.  He gave us the price.  We told him no.  He said he still hadn’t cleaned the carpets.   I told him that it wasn’t necessary.  He repacked the vacuum.  It took him a long time.  Finally he left about 7:00.
• We left after showing him out to pick up a pizza.
• We watched TV for the rest of the evening (3 Good Eats and The Office).

Today I’m heading to CU to get some work done in my office.  Such fun.   Hopefully, I won’t be there all day!

Hello?  (hello hello hello)  Anyone out there? (there there there)

These single vacation days make for very strange Xanga weeks, I must say!

So yesterday wasn’t terribly eventful.  Eric and I both slept in (he later than I).  I read the newspaper and worked on the computer until he got up.  We watched two MacGyver episodes (a two-part story, really), and then Eric played on his computer for most of the afternoon.  I read some, made desserts (angel food cake and brownies) and otherwise kept myself entertained until it was time to head over to Karen’s.

We met Mom & Dad there, and the six of us had dinner, watched TV, played with Maggie, and watched Night at the Museum.  We missed the first 10 minutes of the Hilliard fireworks because of the end of the movie, but we saw the last 10 minutes.  It was a lot like watching Cedarville’s Labor Day fireworks, but there were some really pretty ones.  We all left about 10:30 and we were in bed by 11:00 since Eric had to work this morning.

I am officially bored.

I need a project to do.  Any suggestions?

Yesterday, I got groceries and stuff at WalMart.  I cleaned the kitchen and tidied the rest of the house.  I dead-headed flowers and watered the vegetables.  I talked to Karen and Mom (at different times).  And I crocheted a bit.  Dinner turned out much better (thank goodness!), and Eric mowed the grass after we ate.  Then we watched Monsters, Inc. because we’d seen part of it the other night (on TV), but didn’t finish it.  Every time the little girl did or said something, Eric turned to me and said, “Awww…it’s a Shannah” and sometimes patted my head.  That’s some sense of humor my husband has (*rolls eyes*).

Anyway, that was yesterday.  Today I think I’m going to get my hair cut.  I really should get my oil changed, too, but we’ll see if that happens!

It was not a very busy weekend.  That is nice sometimes, don’t you think?

Friday night, Eric and I watched TV and ate dinner and hung out.  I made him hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls, and I had leftover ham & scalloped potatoes.  He was so excited at his “boy food” treat!  Oddly enough, we watched Good Eats and Alton Brown was talking about “man food” (*said in a gruff, manly voice*), so Eric just enjoyed the heck out of himself, I think.  Then I watched What Not to Wear and prepped the living room floor for carpet cleaning, which I did at 9:00 pm when WNtW ended.  Then we went to bed!

Saturday, Eric worked on the computer a lot. EDIT: I forgot to mention here that we also discovered that Eric’s debit card had been compromised. He couldn’t access our bank account online, so he called, and they had seen an unusual charge and locked the account down. The last time that card left our sight was when we ate at O’Charleys about 10 days ago. And somebody got $700 worth of stuff at a Macy’s in Maryland. But at least that was all they got, and Eric is being sent a new card asap!  END EDIT.  I read my friend’s dissertation, cleaned up the kitchen, exercised, talked to Karen, and generally goofed off.  In the afternoon, we stopped in at a party some friends were having and stayed for about an hour.  Then dinner (NOT a successful attempt ), and then we watched some more television.

Sunday was church.  It was one of our associate pastor’s last Sunday on staff, so he preached.  It was a very good sermon, and the special “good-bye” things were nice, too.  He and his wife are really fun people who laugh a lot and he is really good/bad with puns.  So the last thing in the service was a video of them over the last few years (they were on staff for almost 9), set to the Chris Rice song “Lemonade” which was absolutely appropriate.  It was a good service, but we’ll miss them TONS, so it was, of course, bittersweet.

After church, I made dinner (the gravy turned out horribly…it must not have been my weekend for cooking!), and then we both just goofed off all afternoon.  I did the dishes and read the newspaper.  I also taught myself to crochet in the afternoon/evening.  Then we watched some TV before heading to bed.  See…not that busy!