Adirondacks

We just got back home yesterday from a wonderful trip to the Adirondacks. We spent Thursday through Sunday with our friends, Seth and Stephanie, and their two girls at a cottage their family has on Raquette Lake. It was WONDERFUL! We had such a fun time boating, fishing, swimming, canoeing and playing games. We were sad to leave, but also exhausted. Now we need a vacation to sleep.

More exciting news...Erich took about 4-5 steps on his own while we were there. Apparently their is a tradition in their family that many of their babies learn to walk while vacationing at the cottage. I guess that makes us family. Now we just have to convince them to include us in their summer vacation schedule every year (hee hee!!).

Coffee Catastrophe

I have a coffee maker called "TechniVorm" and it's awesome. I won't go into the details of why it's so awesome so you'll just have to trust me on this one (or you could research it online and buy one yourself). Anyway, I was brewing myself some coffee today and I forgot to open the switch on the filter to allow it to drip into the carafe (it was closed in order to allow the hot water to fully extract the coffee oils and such). So when I came up to our apartment after doing some laundry in the basement I smelled the wonderful aroma and said "Oh crap!!" Hopefully I didn't break it. We'll know soon enough. So now I am enjoying my wonderful cuppa Joe while chewing on a coffee ground every once in a while. Yum.....

Last day of Work (for a while)

Well, tonight is my last night of work. Thank you Jesus. I did an extra night shift on Friday night, so this is my third night in a row. I'll be thankful when my paycheck comes, but for now, I am exhausted. Oh well, pushing on through. I'll have more pics of the wee one soon, I promise.

Almost finished!!!

Well, counting tonight and tomorrow night, I only have five shifts of work left at my current job. My last day will be July 22. Erich and I aren't moving until the end of August but with two weeks that I need off between now and then, it was easier to quit than to try to get vacation time (it's a fruitless effort trying to get vacation time during the summer if you haven't worked there for at least 10 years). It will also be great to have a lot of time to work on packing everything up and tying up loose ends. It will also be nice to have more time with Jonathon before our two-or-so-month separation.

My current project is finding a new job in Michigan. I'm still not quite sure what I'm looking for. I need a job with flexibility since I'm relying on family to help with childcare, but I also need enough hours (still paying those college loans). Jonathon and I are also trying to plan a trip to Europe during this year (or so) of transition since his brother and sister-in-law will be in France. What to do?! I did send in my paperwork to get my RN license in Michigan, although I already hit a snag. I think the Boards of Nursing in this country make it difficult on purpose. Everything I have ever needed to do through them has come with some sort of submitting and resubmitting and phone calls that lead to nowhere coupled with them telling me to do things I already have done (their response is usually,"Oh, well then, just send it again to the address printed...") They never apologize for their own stupidity ('cause that would mean they were wrong in the first place).

Did I ever mention, living in New Jersey has not really made me a kinder, more compassionate person?

Well, amidst the stress of moving and finding a job, there are a number of things I'm thankful for. I'm thankful we'll be moving closer to some family and friends. I'm also thankful we do not have to worry about selling a house in this awful market (thanks to our decision to only rent while in NJ). And I'm thankful for our outstanding health (although we still have a month or so to catch Lyme's disease before we leave).

Please remember us in your prayers; that the move and job search will go smoothly. Thanks.

Pictures of Erich

My friend Ali took some pictures of Erich for his one-year birthday. Check them out by clicking the photo above. They're fabulous.