Busy Times

Sorry, it's been a while. We just purchased and moved into our very first house. What an exciting, scary, and annoying time. We have a few boxes waiting to be unpacked (we still need bookshelves and a few other odds and ends), but we are feeling more and more at home. I'll get some pictures up someday (I make no promises when). It's an older home (1929) with the original windows, so first priority is weatherizing the house. Too bad it's already in the 20's with snow covering everything. Creativity is key!

Changing Seasons

Earlier this week I took the dog for a walk in just a t-shirt and pants; it was 72 degrees. Today it's snowing and cold. Have I told you before how I love Michigan?

Halloween fun

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Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

Okay, I know this is late, but my computer time has been greatly reduced (I'm not really sure why exactly). I am taking a sewing class and Erich's costume was one of my projects. He was a dinosaur. He loves his costume and still asks to wear it around the house. He went Trick-or-Treating with our cousin, Jacob, and had a wonderful time. We love living in a small town with so many kids everywhere.

Michigan Autumn

I do have some great photos of Michigan in the fall, I'm just too lazy to put them up at this very moment. The leaves are quickly falling from the trees, our flowers have finally succumb to the frost, and we had a dusting of SNOW/ICE on Thursday morning. Yes, you heard me correctly. I even remember is snowing on my birthday (October 15) while in Grand Rapids about 8 years ago. The good thing is, I love cold weather so I'm definitely living in the right place. Just thought I would share that with you.

To vote or not to vote...

I just read a friend's blog and now I'm fired up to say my piece.

I am so happy to live in a country where regardless of race, class, sex, personal beliefs, we are all able to vote for who we believe will be the "better" at running this country. Our fellow Americans worked very hard to earn us these freedoms. I really think it's our DUTY to vote.

I also think it's our DUTY to be educated about WHO and WHAT we are choosing to vote for. I will not use this blog to try to convince you who is the better candidate; that is totally up to you and your convictions. BUT, I don't know that I feel it's good to even go to the polls if you don't truly know your candidate.

Now, for arguments sake, we have to fish through a lot of junk to get to the truth. I pray for a lot of discernment when "fishing;" I pray God will help me to sift through the lies and get to the truth. We will all be deceived in some way just because we're human and satan LOVES this kind of thing to divide us.

PLEASE vote! PLEASE take time from your regular TV programming to learn about our candidates. Take advantage of the freedom we have, and the technology to stay informed.

News on the Home front

If you haven't already heard the news, our offer was accepted on a house. It is a foreclosed home so we need to rely heavily on our inspection next Thursday, but the house seems to be very well-kept. We are very optimistic.

I'm having an ethical dilemma about this house because I feel very sad for the family who had to move out due to foreclosure. We will end up paying about half of what the house is really worth. Good for us, definitely. But, I still feel a twinge of guilt for paying so little because of another family's tragedy. I know I can't dwell on it too much because there really is nothing I could have done to prevent the foreclosure. I'm just trying to see it purely as a blessing that God has found us a house we can afford and that we can easily grow into it if we end up staying here forever. I have no idea what the future holds, but not having to move because of space issues is a huge bonus.

So if anyone would like to visit, we've finally got the room!!!! After living in shoe boxes in New Jersey, we won't know what to do with ourselves. I think our furniture will be sparse for a long time, but that's fine by me. More room to just lay on the floor and stretch.

Schrammling #2

Schrammling #2
Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

I guess since it's not much of a secret, I'll blog it. We are expecting a new little Schramm around May 15. I've been feeling the effects of my pregnancy pretty much since the little guy (or girl) attached to my uterine wall, which has been interesting. I was lucky enough with Erich to not have many symptoms; I guess I'm just making up for it now.

In other news, Jonathon and I have started the process of buying our first home. Very scary, indeed. Now is probably the best time to buy since people are practically trying to give their houses away here in Lansing. Jonathon said to me last evening, "Now I know why people go through real estate agents; this stuff is way over my head." We probably won't get a phenomenal interest rate because of everything happening in the financial world (gag me with a fork), but we can compare it to the interest rates in the mid-80s and smile to ourselves.

Erich is talking in complete sentences. He says please and thank you (usually when prompted, of course). He's such a little man. Now we just need to convince him that going on the potty will make him the coolest person alive.

And finally, I get to reduce my hours at work. We figured out our budget and I need to work about 4 times per month to get by. I'm so very happy about that. I will be splitting my time between the Pediatric Emergency Room and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit; my two loves (and hates).

The newest Schramm

Rocky & Erich
Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

Rocky has come to our family sort-of by default. He had to be given away by his previous owners and we thought, "well, he's probably going to much easier than our last dog." And, alas, he is. His size, his exercise requirement, and his demenor are all much more compatible with our lives at the moment.

Erich really enjoys Rocky but is very rough with him. It's stressful trying to teach a 2-year-old how to properly treat an animal. He's had a lot of time in "time-out."

Other than that, life is still flowing by pretty easily. We're enjoying our jobs as well as our home life.

Until next time...

Summer days

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Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

Our summer has been VERY nice this year. I think it all has to do with us feeling like we're back "home" finally. Neither Jonathon nor I regret our time in New Jersey. It definitely opened our eyes and made us more thoughtful, slower to speak or make assumptions, and made us appreciate family all the more.

My friend Andrea does a good job of listing 5 or 10 things that are positive about something, or things that can be improved. So I will try this out too. Here are 10 things I loved about living in New Jersey:

1. The History: the houses, the battles, the stories...

2. The Diversity: PEOPLE, food, music, theater, neighbors...

3. The payscale: Higher cost of living = higher earnings (helped us pay down some college debt).

4. The friends who let us be "family"

5. The Reformed Church of Highland Park, where we taught and were taught so much about environmental and social justice.

6. Lighthouses. That's also why I like Michigan.

7. Sunshine and blue sky. The storms always passed quickly.

8. Traffic. So that I know now how bad "bad" really is.

9. My sinful affair with Dunkin' Donuts coffee. I have recently broken our relationship, but remember it fondly.

10. The birth of our first child.

Happy 4th of July

An all-American boy at a parade...



A little bit of hometown irony...

Enchilada Night

Enchilada Night
Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

Also "bath night".

All hail the Tiny Saturn!

I got into a car accident yesterday morning. I was at an intersection slowing down behind someone who had stopped at a GREEN light. I had given a little "honk" so they would wake up but it didn't help. I had to slow down a little quicker than planned. All I saw in my rearview mirror was a big company van about to kiss my trunk. He hit me from behind going at about 35 mph and I hit the car in front of me. When we all pulled into a gas station to examine our cars and ourselves, he said he had turned his head because there was a squirrel stopped in the middle of the road (in oncoming traffic). All the rest of traffic was speeding along because the light was green.

I've been told by people who own very large vehicles, that they own them because they feel safer on the roads and are less likely to have damage done if in an accident. Well, our little Saturn has few scratches but no dents. The little car in front of me was also pretty unharmed except for a scratch. The only vehicle with any damage was the big ol' van which had a sizable dent in his front bumper. So throw the "big car" theory out the window!!! All hail the Tiny Saturn!

We all felt okay and since the damage was minimal we agreed to just exchange phone numbers. Well, on my way home I started feeling the pain in my neck, shoulder and left arm. I ended up having Jonathon take me to the urgent care center and was treated for whiplash. But, because it was an auto accident, my health insurance won't cover my costs unless I have a police report. So, now I have to go to the police station and file a late police report. I'm annoyed, but thankfully everyone was alright.

Happy Father's Day & Happy Birthday

June 2008
Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

First of all, to my wonderful husband:
You have been such a wonderful father for our son. You have really risen to the challenge and exceeded the expectations. Erich is so lucky to have a daddy who is so involved in his life and who is a great role model. Erich and I love you so much!

And, to my little guy:
You are now two years old and still full of surprises. Being parents to you has been mostly joy with a little bit of challenge. Your easy-going nature and great personality are such a blessing. We look forward to the next steps in your growth and pray that God will give us all many more years together. Daddy and Mommy love you!

Are we in Kansas? (Part 2)

Storm June 8 '08 (24)
Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

Our house is the grey one. A very tall street tree across the street from us had one of its major limbs blown over, which knocked down an electrical/telephone pole which then came crashing down on our deck. Click on the photo to see more through our flickr account.

Sunday afternoon I was sleeping after a night of work when I thought I heard the tornado sirens (which was weird after such a nice day). My neighbor was out on the porch and flagged me down and I ran with her and her two girls down to their basement (which happen to be a little easier to get to than mine). We heard a crash and the lights flicked off, then on again after a few seconds. Then the storm was over and this is what we saw in its aftermath. Thankfully, Jonathon and Erich were over at his parents' house, and everyone was safe. And, fortunately, we're getting a new deck, which was very overdue (it was rotting anyway).

So that's our story. We finally have our phone and internet back on and we were lucky enough to have power through it all(ours is fed from the side street since we're on a corner).

Are we in Kansas?

We had a very interesting weekend filled with storms and rain and microbursts. In some areas they actually had tornadoes. We got off pretty lucky compared to some, but we experienced our own damage. I don't have pictures because we still don't have phone or internet but I will have them, hopefully, within a week or so. So, check back in a while. I'll tell the whole tale along with the pictures then. We are all safe and sound and our house is mostly intact, and that's what is important.

He has a job!!

October2004 155
Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

Yes, friends, Jonathon finally heard from MSU and he has a job. He will be doing a two-year post-doc doing research on effective teaching methods in science. This is only half-time, but there is another half-time position in the works doing outreach for the bioenergy research already underway.

Translation: I'm a nurse and I don't really know everything he will be doing because it sometimes sounds like Japanese to me. But if you would like more info, I'm sure Jonathon will be happy to explain it all to you.

I'm happy, because I will no longer be soley responsible to put bread (or bulgar wheat) on the table. I will be able to cut my hours back somewhat. I LOVE my job but it's very emotionally draining at times.

So, that's our happy news. Praise the Lord!!

Tragedy

Many of you know the well-known Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman. He has influenced many Christians around the globe with his words/talent as a musician. Tragedy struck their family this week. I read about it from my friend, Kimberly's blog and their is a link to his website. His family really needs prayer right now as they try to carry on with their lives after their daughter's/sister's death. Thank you.

Mother's Day up North

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Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

We took a camping trip on Michigan's Upper Penninsula ("U.P."). Unfortunately, we had remembered everything except the tent poles. After a night in a motel we were able to catch the park ranger and get the only "mini-cabin" in Brimely State Park. It ended up being a blessing since the temperature sunk to the mid-30s at night with high winds off Lake Superior. Our cabin had a space heater which was very nice. Jonathon was disappointed at our lack of "roughing it", but I was glad to know we wouldn't have frozen to death.

We spent our time checking out a few lighthouses and scenic overlooks, playing on the beaches of Lakes Michigan and Superior, watching the ships come through Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, eating fudge and pasties, and visiting an old Historic Mill town.

We came home a day early but spent our free day at the zoo and local market. We've enjoyed the time to spend as a family, especially before Jonathon has a job that will probably occupy a lot of his time.

Baby bites the dust (or concrete)

April 2008
Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

We are so thankful for a house with a deck to put our grill and outdoor furniture on. But with this territory comes some minor hazards. Erich is still learning how to use stairs and decided to try it on his own. Of course Jonathon and I were standing right there, but these things, as we all know, happen faster than we can react. After some hugging and peroxide I think he will survive. No evidence of a subdural or epidural hematoma noted.

Springtime!!!!

April 2008
Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

Spring is finally here!!! Although we know one last snowfall may be just around the corner, we are very thankful for our warm(er) weather and the budding flowers and trees. I'm premedicating with allergy meds, so hopefully I will be able to enjoy Spring this year!

Is there a Doctor in the house?

Traverse City
Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

YES!!!!

Jonathon successfully defended his dissertation on Thursday, March 27, and can now add the letters PhD after his last name. We are both so relieved this hurdle has been jumped. He still has more work to do in order to publish some of his writing, but all in all, he feels a real burden has been lifted.

Now, do you all know of any job openings for an ecologist?

A Christmas Story?

Easter Egg Hunt
Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

No, this is Easter in Michigan. What a surprise to have an Easter Egg hunt with 4-6 inches of snow on the ground. At least it was sunny. Erich had a great time "finding" the eggs in the snow. He caught on really quickly. He even learned how to steal eggs out of someone else's basket. My thieving little bambino.

Erich's first haircut

Erich's first haircut
Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

Our little man finally got his first haircut. He cried really hard while Jonathon was getting his haircut, but was stone-still while he got his own haircut. He did such a great job and looks great. There are more photos of the event on our flickr site.

Lunar Eclipse

Lunar Eclipse
Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

This is a little late only because I just downloaded my pictures.

This was taken on Feb. 20 at 10pm during the most recent lunar eclipse. I only wish I had a better zoom lens to really capture it, but I think my camera did a spectacular job.

We're back online

We finally have a functioning computer at our new place. Sorry it has been forever since you all heard from us, but I assure you everything is just fine. Jonathon is currently stuck in NJ due to their "major" winter weather (yeah, okay...). His three-day work trip turned into a four-day trip, so it's not all that bad. He was able to get a lot done and feels good about his progress.

Erich is doing well, learning all sorts of new words and phrases. Just today, in the public bathroom with my mother-in-law, Erich proceeded to say "poopy?" about 100 times. He also discovered how to check under the stall walls and meet his neighbors also making "poopy."

And I am currently putting my feelers out and thinking about switching to another department. Just this morning I had an interview with Infusion Services (doing IV therapy for all sorts of people). The interview went really well and I should know if I'm in next week. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of seniority so I'm not getting my hopes too high.

Oh, bother!

What I call annoying, but pretty, is heavy snow (about 4-6 inches in a few short hours) on moving day. We are trying to move and the day starts out with freezing rain and ice and turns into thick, heavy snow. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE SNOW, but not today. I would have taken a picture but my camera is at our new apartment.

Michigan, the Beautiful

Sleeping Bear Dunes
Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

Jonathon and I had a wonderful trip to Traverse City this weekend. Little Erich was left in the care of his grandparents while we ventured off for a break away from parental duties.

We spent the weekend snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and wine tasting. That's about all you can do there during these frozen months. At least we didn't have to compete with any crowds. There was NO traffic; something we never experienced in New Jersey, even in the country at 2am.

There wasn't a lot of snow there, but just enough to enjoy our winter activities. We definitely recommend this area for those who love the outdoors in Winter.

Puppy Kisses

Puppy Kisses
Originally uploaded by sillyschramm

Today we saw some sled dogs at the library close to our house. A woman, who lives nearby, gave a presentation about how they train the dogs and such. It was very interesting and they had a pretty large crowd for a tiny country library. Erich was very fond of the dogs, but not so fond of the licking after a while.

And, well, we're enjoying the snow-filled winter here in Michigan. Jonathon went ice skating on a pond behind his parent's property today and we spent some time pulling Erich around in the sled. It's supposed to rain on Monday so we're soaking it all up.

Beautiful day in the country

Erich had fun, Saturday, doing chores with Grandma and Grandpa. What weather!! It was a beautiful, sunny day (about 40 degrees). Unfortunately all of our beautiful snow is completely gone.

Of course, now the snow is slowly returning and temps are dropping to the 20s this week. Ahhh...blessed Michigan winters. I think Jonathon and I are the only psychos who love this stuff.

Jonathon is currently in New Jersey working on revisions for his thesis. And, because he is gone, Erich is ill again. His teething, then coughing, then fevers, then thick yellow snot...here we go again. I'm sure he'll be better just as Jonathon gets back on Thursday.

Other than that, life is going well. We are looking forward to Jonathon defending in late February and then he will finally be Dr. Schramm!!