Something That We Do

Love is something that we do!

8.31.2010

True Story

Austin and I went and had dinner with my parents last night, while Carl attended a class on entrepreneurship. We also picked up Belle from their house, so we could bring her home. On the way home, this conversation took place.

Scene: *Belle licking Austin's hands.*

Austin: "You're so good at licking, Belle. Lindsey, we should enter her in a pie contest!"

Me: "Pie's not good for dogs, Aust. Maybe a kibble contest?"

Austin: "No, no....not a pie eating contest."

Me: "Well I assume you don't want her to bake a pie.....right?"

Austin (completely serious): "I don't think she can bake."

.....pause......

Me (biting my lip): "You'd be correct. What other type of pie contest is there? No eating? No baking?"

Austin: "She should be entered in a pie contest....a cutie-pie contest, because she is THE (add emphasis) cutie-pie! Aren't you Belle......"

Austin hugs Belle.

End scene.

I'm back!

Hey everyone, sorry for being away for so long! School is intense this semester, so my blogging might cut down a little bit. But, it's a great outlet for me, so I certainly hope that doesn't happen too much!

My first week of classes has been pretty great....except for my blasted 7:25-making-me-leave-the-house-at-6:30-class.......grrrrr. I don't like leaving when it's dark outside, and if that's not bad enough, I have to walk to a bus stop that backs up to some thick woods that some mugger (or worse) could pop out of! After explaining my fears about being mugged (or worse) to my hubby, we decided it would be best for me to pay $60 and get a parking pass. That'll make it easier, for sure. Anyway, back to my classes...

Audiologic rehabilitation seems pretty boring so far, but that's okay. Boring equals easy, and easy equals an A. TV and American Society is pretty fun. I sometimes almost nod off in there, though. But the teacher is nice and lively, so my hour in there isn't too too bad. Next comes forensics. Oh my goodness how I love that class. I was nervous to take that class, but it's AWESOME! We're learning all about how to determine the cause of death, and we watched a documentary on the LA Coroner's Office! We watched autopsies! This sounds really disgusting, but it was actually pretty interesting. Don't judge me. After that class, I travel down the hill and across campus to Acoustics. All I can say about that class is oh shoot. Not gonna be a cake walk, that's for sure. I might end up enlisting the help of me and hubby's friend, Matt...who actually enjoys the subject! My last class of the day would be boring, if it weren't for my awesome teacher. She's a graduate student and she makes things really fun for us! She shows us youtube videos, and the way she teaches is just all around kind of quirky, making her funny for a 5:00 class. And of course, I have my online class, Diseases of Eating. Not too sure about this one yet. Trying really hard to give it the benefit of the doubt. Buuuuut....... I've taken three online, open-note, open-lecture, open-everything quizzes, and to be safe and to ensure an A, I have looked up EVERY SINGLE answer. Once I heard it in a lecture, or saw it in writing, I clicked the choice. And yet, I haven't made about a 90. Huh? So, I'd like to ask my teacher to let me review the quizzes but that is "strictly prohibited." Great. We'll see how that turns out.

On the positive side, guess what I did last night.

I......

applied.......

for...............

GRADUATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAY! FINALLY!

Now, here's where you come in. I need prayers. Lots and lots of prayers. Why? Well, you see, my degree audit (which tells me which classes I still need) says I need 3 more classes, of which I've already taken. The computer will deny me for graduation if these are not corrected, so I emailed my advisor and she said "She'll look into it." (Translation: I'll hear from her in 4 weeks if I email her every other day and call her office every morning begging her to look at my transcripts.)

That's about it though. I just need prayers that I will graduate in December, and to complete this semester with as few gray hairs as possible!

8.24.2010

Success!

Austin's first day at his new school went great! He likes all of his teachers, and says they are all really nice...except his language arts teacher, "She's not nice like the others...she's nice, she's just not as nice." He's good at phrasing things as to not hurt other people's feelings. Sweet boy.

I was so proud of him; he came home with all of his papers in folders (Something that's always been big job for him). He said he didn't have a problem finding his way around school, except for once, but he was only lost for a minute. He also liked his afterschool program and the teacher there told me that he met a little blond girl in his EDEP program and played checkers with her for a while (Austin conveniently forgot her name though...). And this morning, when we got up to take him to the bus stop, he begged for us to let him walk HIMSELF to the stop! Woah. With a bit of hesitance, we let him. It was only about a 6 minute walk, and the stop is located on our street so there would not be any crossing of roads or anything dangerous. He knows to stay on the sidewalk the whole way there. So, there he went. He made the trek down the street, and we peeped through our windows until he was out of sight.

I have a feeling these next few years are going to fly by quicker than we're ready for. Better buckle up!

8.23.2010

Sunday Showers

Yesterday was a wonderful day, in my book. We went to church in the morning, and then went out to lunch with some good friends. After lunch, us girls headed back up to the church to throw a baby shower for our dear friend, Lily! Lily and her husband Scott are expecting their baby boy, Jack, to arrive in just a couple of weeks. Scott is a firefighter, and Lily is a nurse...little Jack's room is decorated in fireman decor! It's absolutely adorable. Her shower was a lot of fun, yesterday, too!


When we all got home, it rained. I love Sunday afternoon rains. I just love them. I love the sound of the rain hitting the roof, I love the haze of white we see when we look out the window, I love watching the water droplets hit our screen and then our pool, I love how the house cools down and everything just seems to move slower at a more relaxed pace. And I love going and changing into sweat clothes once it starts raining. Aaah, nothing like a Sunday shower.

While it rained, the three of us did a bible study together. We've been doing weekly bible studies on the book of Acts. After our bible study, Carl started cooking dinner for the three of us, and I helped Austin gather all his things for school the next day. I also ironed his polos, filled his backpack with folders and paper, pens and pencils, and laid out his clothes for the next day. That's when I realized his brand new jeans don't fit him. Oh, snap. He was able to wear a pair of kahki shorts today, so he was still within the "uniform" parameters. But, it looks like either tonight or tomorrow I'll be hitting up the store for some new clothes and even more school supplies, once we get the lists that Austin will be sent home with today.

Today is his first day in MIDDLE SCHOOL! Carl and I reminisced on our big first days... he says he can't remember if he was nervous about middle school or high school, but he does recall accidentally washing his hair with facial soap. (Oops!) And for me, I vividly remember my first day of middle school and being terrified for no reason whatsoever. My dad even worked at the school, but it was still the scariest place on earth, as far as I was concerned. I remember clinging to him and my friends coaxing me away from him. Eventually I went with them, and it wasn't so bad after all. Don't know why I was so scared!

So, today is Austin's big first day. Carl and I have talked privately and we must admit, we're BOTH nervous for him. Austin didn't seem too nervous but I imagine he had at least a few butterflies. Today will be his first time walking through a school all by himself, with no teacher to guide him. It's also his first day in which he's responsible for getting him self to class on time (We make sure he gets out the door in the morning on time, but he has to walk to all his classes on his own). I can't believe he's in 6th grade. That's just crazy. We'll see how his first day went! Here are some pictures that Carl took of him while he was waiting on his very first bus! (I had class at UF at 7:25, and since Austin's bus came at 8:40, I didn't even get to see him this morning. That's how it will be every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'll be the one to walk him to the bus stop.)
Waiting on the bus.
From Something That We Do
Getting on the bus! "Dad, stop taking my picture...you're embarrassing me!"
From Something That We Do

Let's hope he had a good day!

8.16.2010

Weekend

This weekend, Austin's best friend Forrest came over to play. Forrest stayed the night with Austin on Friday night, and then they had a good full day together on Saturday. Austin had a blast but it sure wore him out! All day Sunday he was in a haze, but I think it was worth it for him. They played in the pool, legos, computer games, watched some TV, and played video games. Carl and I got to do some things on our own, too. Carl programmed while I sat next to him in my desk scrapbooking. We got a lot done, and I think everyone had a great weekend. On Sunday when we got home from church, we did a family bible study and then went about doing "Sunday afternoon" type of things. Carl and I moved Austin's furniture around in his room, and now he has a LOT of floor space. I don't know why we didn't think of this plan before. It's definitely an improvement from before. Austin also cleaned out a lot of his old stuff so he can start the school year with a fresh clean room, as clutter free as possible.

On Saturday, while I was scrapbooking, Belle came up to me and brought me her bone. She's been doing that lately. She brings me her bone if it's too small for her to hold and chew on. I always help her out by holding her bone for her, and she lays in my lap chewing away. Well, this time, while "chewing away," she accidentally bit into my thumb. It hurt really bad....I looked at Carl and said I am either about to pass out, or throw up. My finger was throbbing. He says I have a low pain tolerance, but Belle has sharp teeth and this HURT! I looked at my thumb and it was bleeding from underneath the nail. Seeing the blood, I told Carl I was going to pass out, so he had me lay down on the bed. Upon closer examination, we realized she bit THROUGH my nail. I now have a tooth hole in my nail, with a very sore thumb. I was laying on the bed feeling like I was going to throw up, and trying not to pass out when Carl came to me with bandaid and hydrogen peroxide. That man takes such good care of me.

Meanwhile, Belle knew that she injured her momma and was being really sweet to me. I wasn't welcoming her kisses like I normally do, just because I was in so much pain. She left for a few minutes, and then came back to me and laid her teddy bear next to my face, and then she laid down next to it. I thought it was so sweet of her; she was making an apologetic gesture to me! I knew she didn't mean to hurt me, so of course I didn't discipline her. Just the fact that she brought me her toy that she's had since she was born was so sweet.

Aside from that little incident, it was a pretty good weekend in our home. I hope you all had a good weekend, as well!

8.13.2010

Dog Days of Summer

It's been so hot and rainy this summer, I've seen a lot of this.
From Blog

And, this.
From Blog

Carl and I try to walk her in the evenings, but it's just. so. hot. Our back yard is currently very sandy, so she doesn't enjoy running around out there. I take her to my parents house a couple of days a week and she runs like a madwoman! I promise- her feet are in the air more than they are on the ground. She runs, jumps, leaps, spins, flips, well....maybe not flips.... but you get the idea. She's a happy camper when she's got a big green yard to run around in. We're working on that for her (and us). Till then, she's does go through spurts where she enjoys weaving in and out of the dining room table and chairs. Maybe she was born to be an agility sports dog.

8.12.2010

Final Decision.

I made a decision.
I WILL: graduate in December.
I WILL: take 18 hours of classes at UF. (UPDATE: it ended up being 19, for the record!)
I WILL: be miserable but only for one semester so I'll be okay...I can do anything for just a semester, right? RIGHT????
....eh, so that last one wasn't so much of a decision as it was a by-product of a decision.

In case you haven't heard the story of how I had to fight to get one of my classes accepted at UF, I'll brief you really fast. Back when my major required foreign language, before our college change, I desperately tried to enroll in American Sign Language. I always wanted to learn it, so I was bound and determined to take this course as my foreign language requirement. Imagine my disappointment when I realized it was next to impossible to get in to Dr. Sign's class. Luckily, there's a college nearby that we are aloud to transfer credits between. So, I gladly took ASL at the other college. When I returned to UF, they said "I'm sorry but you've transferred too many credits. We can't accept Sign Language from another school." I didn't know there was a limit to the number of credits transferred, so I was quite disappointed. But wait, the only reason I took it at the other school was because I couldn't get in to UF's class! And this class was required, for Pete's sake! I must protest.

After much back and forth (I'll spare you), ASL was accepted. Here's the hitch. It's accepted as a foreign language, but not necessarily as an upper level elective (Which I need so many of to graduate)...... and then when my advisor wrote me and told me how close I was to graduation, she said I needed 9 more hours of upper level electives (supposedly) because she counted ASL as an upper level elective. I'm not sure what to do now, because technically it's not an upper level elective but they are counting it as such. If they continue to count it as an upper level elective, I will graduate in December. HOWEVER, if they decide at the last minute to say "No, we're not going to count this as an upper level elective....." then I will have to stay yet another semester at UF taking one course. Anyway, I'll let you know how it turns out. As for the fall semester..... I'm in for a doozy.


Here are my classes that I'm registered for. The first three are required.
Audiologic Rehabilitation.
Audiometry
Acoustics
Skeletal forensics (I heard this was an easy elective, I hope these people weren't pulling my leg....)
TV and American Society (Again, word on the street says it's an easy elective....)
Diseases of Eating (same as above.)

I pray that I get through this semester will an A-B average, and I graduate in December so I'm not told that I need one more class.

8.11.2010

Happily Ever After

This past weekend, Hubby and I went two hours south to Tampa for a good friend's wedding. Carl and Greg have been friends for many years, so naturally they were groomsmen in each others' weddings. Here is Greg with MY groom:
From Blog

And here is a shot of all of Greg's groomsmen waiting for Greg's bride to walk down the aisle. I apologize for the poor photo quality.
From Blog

Before the wedding, here's a picture of Greg with his beautiful mom, Carolyn.
From Blog


Greg's bride, Cristina, had three little ballet dancers twirl down the aisle before she entered. It was such an unique idea, and it was quite beautiful!
From Blog

Here is Greg with his beautiful bride.
From Blog

And here is the happy couple as they cut into a beautiful (and again, very unique) wedding cake.
From Blog

The wedding and the atmosphere was genuinely beautiful. All glory of the day was appropriately given to God. As the bride and groom exited the building, all their close friends and family surrounded them and sang "Blessed Be The Name." It was a truly beautiful send-off.

Here's to you, Greg and Cristina. May you have a lifetime of happiness and joy.

8.06.2010

Sensibility

A couple of months ago, I found myself jotting down Austin's comments as he worked on his first ever science fair project. His fifth grade class is learning how to do research using the internet as part of their projects. Austin started out doing his project on "Which type of fruit do ants prefer?" After buying a bunch of fruit and slicing it up, and waiting...for hours.... we learned that ants don't want to go searching for food in the winter ;) Seeing as how the project was due in a couple of days, Austin switched the project. His goal was now to discover "Who has a better sense of smell, males or females?"

After completing the physical part of the research, Carl and I taught Austin how to google, and how to ask questions online. We sent him off to our home office, and he was working away for a bit. Across the house, we hear his footsteps running toward our room. Frustrated, he said "Mozzarella firefox isn't working." (For those of you who didn't notice, he meant Mozilla.) Carl and I got a chuckle out of this, and told him to use Safari instead. Off he went.

He came back a few minutes later frustrated that he didn't know how to ask google the question. Carl asked, "What question are you trying to find an answer to?" Austin thought about it for a minute and said "Ohhh....okay..." and started walking off.

Wanting to make sure he understood the task at hand, I asked, "What question will you go ask google?"

His answer: "Who smells better, men or women?" He didn't quite comprehend that this search would not yield the results he was looking for. Carl told him he would save him the trouble of asking that question, and just tell him the answer is women because women wear perfume. We re-explained this concept of asking questions online, and off he went.

Proudly, Austin came back in our room a few minutes later. "I found the answer!" Carl and I were curious what answer he found, but we both knew the correct answer already. Austin said "Women have a better sense of smell." Excellent! He got the right answer.

"Now Austin, why do women have a better sense of smell?" Carl asked.

So you know the correct answer, it's because estrogen gives us women more sensitivity in our olfactory nerves. Austin understood this concept, but the answer he gave us?.....

"Because women have more sensibility." I praised the youngin and told him he found the meaning to life. ;)
From Blog

Winding roads

Dear UF-Advisor-In-My-College-That-I-Was-Assigned-To,

I will allow you to remain nameless in this post.

I only complained to my husband when you wouldn't return my phone calls.

I only CC'd your boss when you wouldn't respond to my emails.

I only consulted with your department chair when I waited by your office for 3 hours with 23 other girls, none of whom were able to be seen by you.

I only got kicked out by the only other advisor because I was not "his responsibility."

But now, I don't know who to go to. I feel like you've sent me in circles. And then some. My one question for you is this:

How did you miscalculate the completion of my undergraduate degree by EIGHTEEN hours?!?!?!??? I've consulted you several times over the last few months, and I don't understand where "we" went wrong. I'm a little burnt out after being told "one more semester" a couple of times now. I'm not mad that my major changed colleges; I understand it is a big change for everyone. But, how did so many students get "lost in the shuffle?" More importantly, why are we not aloud to register for our own classes? Why have you all taken away that right?

I just want to graduate and get on with life. Whether it be graduate school, or working... I just want to get out from under you. Now, should I take 18 hours in the fall? Will it be the death of me? Will my friends all think I've moved out of my home to live under a rock? Perhaps. Or, should I ease up some stress and stretch the 18 hours out to last two semesters? That is the question.


Requesting prayers and making a decision soon,
Lindsey

8.05.2010

All in the family.

This past weekend, Carl and I had a lot of traveling going on. I just realized that I had somehow not used Hubby's real name in any previous post, so I thought I might clarify now that his name is Carl. But, if you're reading this blog, you most likely already know that. Anyways...back to our travels...

On Friday, when Hubby got off work, the three of us packed up and headed over to Palm Coast to visit with Hubby's grandma. When Carl was little, he always spent a week during the summer with his grandma. He always had a great time with her, and she took him exciting places the like the beach, Disney World, the Kennedy Space Center, and other fun Florida sites. Hubby still reminisces of his vacations with her. Ever since Austin has been old enough to stay a week away from home, he has gone to visit with Carl's grandma as well. Let's be clear- this is Austin's great grandma that he gets to spend a week with each summer. How awesome is that? And she still goes and goes with him; they do beach trips, Disney world, Kennedy Space Center, all of the fun things that Carl got to do as a boy. I don't think Austin realizes how wonderful it is that he has gotten to know his great grandmother, but I hope that one day he does realize how special that is. We didn't go anywhere during the couple hours we visited with them, so I didn't think to get a picture, unfortunately.

The next morning, Carl and I packed up and drove about half an hour south to Daytona Beach where my side of the family was having a mini-reunion. It was so good to see everyone. We all went out to dinner at Aunt Catfish's On The River....picture coming soon. When the waiter took the photo, he was very....thorough. "Third person on the left, lean back a little. Fourth on the right, lean in. No, not that much.... You all the way on the end, I can't see you too well." Some of the family got annoyed with him; I could hear them huffing and complaining. Me? "Wow, this is great.... I've never had a waiter be so thorough!" I was really happy to get a picture of everyone present. We were, sadly, missing cousin Jason, though. He was still working and he made the drive to see everyone the following day. Unfortunately, Carl and I had already left by then.

Here are some pictures of some family members on the pier at the restaurant where we ate.
Here's my cousin Jimmy...
From Daytona Beach 1

Here is Jimmy with his wife, Susie.
From Daytona Beach 1


Here's my Aunt Cathy and her first granddaughter, Georgia.
From Daytona Beach 1

Here is cousin Jimmy's wife, Susie and Georgia.
From Daytona Beach 1


While everyone was having a relaxed afternoon, poor Hubby was having a mini-crisis. The power went out at his place of business and affected his customers. He was calling in employees to reboot and get the machines working again. Here's a picture of him on the phone, still trying to settle everything.
From Daytona Beach 1


Here is my cousin Dustin and his daughter (Georgia).
From Daytona Beach 1


The girls :) Susanna, me, Gillian, and Susie.
From Daytona Beach 1


Here's a candid of Hubby talking to my parents. Should I be reading into the plaid shirts?
From Daytona Beach 1

Me and Hubby.
From Daytona Beach 1


Here is my mom, Gill, and Aunt Janet.
From Daytona Beach 1


My mom with her youngest niece Gill.
From Daytona Beach 1


We were all a bit surprised how much these two look alike. They're first cousins (Gill and Jimmy)
From Daytona Beach 1


Good looking bunch, eh? ;)