Thursday, June 25, 2009

AC Trials and Tribulations

Well. Now that I’ve had some time to ‘cool off’, I thought I’d document our horrible week of HOT. I’ll try to keep it brief.

Sunday Afternoon: Our air conditioner froze up. The filter needed to be changed. The coils were encased in ice. Dean, having been told by our AC guy in the past to keep the coils clean, cleaned them. It didn’t work.

Monday Morning: After spending the night with no AC, Dean called our AC guy first thing. He could not come out that day, which is understandable. He said he’d come out first thing the next day. We set up fans throughout the house and camped in front of them. The kids watched a lot of TV and I spent a lot of time on the computer, wherever we could sit in front of a fan. We did try to leave for a while. Dean took Roan to work with him. I took the other two to the library and a movie (Star Trek, they loved it). Then we picked up some dinner and took it to Dean’s office and ate there. That was all some nice family fun, but we still had to come home to the hot house and spend another night.

Tuesday Morning: Dean went off to work. The AC guy was expected first thing, so we couldn’t escape the hot house this time, waiting for him. He arrived at 3:45pm. Yeah….first thing. He looked at the AC and said we needed a new coil. This was a $1200 part that should be covered by warrantee, but we still had to cover labor which was $525!!! Since AC guy had to now locate a new coil, the AC wouldn’t be fixed until the next day. He said he hoped to pick up the coil and get it in by lunch, Wed. Another hot night spent. It’s getting hotter.

Wednesday: He arrives at 2:45. He looks at me and says, “You don’t look very happy.” I said, “I’m hot.” He brings the coil in and unpacks it. Now, the coil is missing a part that should have been there. He makes a call, then drives one hour round trip to get the missing part. When he gets back he discovers it is the wrong part. Now he’s getting frustrated and defensive. Meanwhile, we are still HOT. He says he he’ll have to come back the next day. Dean even offered to go get the part for him, so he wouldn’t have to drive all the way back again. (Dean works pretty close) So, AC guy says he’ll be back Thurs. AM between 8:30 and 9. By now it is so hot in our house and tempers are flaring. Keep in mind, that since he keeps saying he’ll be there in the morning and then showing up hours late, that we have been trapped in the house, unable to leave it because we’re waiting for him!

Thursday: Dean decided to work from home in order to be able to talk to the guy and so the kids and I could get out for a while. Even though he said 8:30 to 9, we weren’t holding our breath. I took the kids to Saluda Splash for a few hours. We picnicked and got wet. I brought a book. We had a nice afternoon. When we arrived home about 2:00, he had not come yet. Big surprise. He finally arrived at 6:00 PM!

Unbelievable.

When Dean answered the door, AC guy clapped his hands together and said, “You can’t be as hot as I am, let’s get this thing fixed!”

. .
_

So they came in and fixed up the AC. He had pumped out all of the Freon and was outside in the process of pumping it back in when a huge severe thunderstorm started blowing through. They finished up just as the bottom of the sky opened up. Man, the wind was blowing and it was pouring rain. The thunder was really close and loud. A friend called afraid of tornadoes, it was that bad. However, inside the house, the AC was fixed! Yay! He flipped the switch to turn it on…..

And we lost all electricity in the house. (from the storm) The house was 92 degrees,

the AC was fixed, but we couldn’t turn it on because there was no electricity! AND NOW THE FANS DON’T WORK!

And it’s very dark. And the AC guy won’t leave because he’s afraid of lightening. And he sits in the living room drinking ice water commenting on how he can’t believe how hot it is in our house.

. .
_

The storm blew off, the AC guys left, and we left. We drove around for a while, went to Target, got some Italian ice at Rita’s, then went back home. The power was still out. The idea of going in to that house and going to bed WITHOUT the fans was unacceptable. We sat in the driveway for a while with the AC on. Roan was asleep in the back seat. We finally gave in. It was 10 pm by now. Roan was already asleep and Kai didn’t have too much trouble, but the rest of us couldn’t sleep. Finally, I decided to take a cold shower which really helped. Alyssa did the same, and we finally managed to fall asleep. Dean was still wide awake. The electricity finally kicked on about 1am. Because my hair was wet and the fan turned back on as well as the AC, by morning I had a sore throat which turned into a head cold that I’m still trying to kick.

But the AC works!!!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Question #20

What is your greatest joy?

Journaling: "The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands." Psalm 19:1

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Question #19

Who is your best friend as an adult?Journaling: I am not generally a very intimate person, therefore I usually only have one or two close friends at a time. Even then, there always seems to be a barrier that prevents me from becoming truly close to anybody. This is my own deficiency, not theirs. So I started thinking, who do I go to when I need someone? Well, I go to my parents or my sisters, especially Amy since we are so much alike. But the one person who knows me the best, is always there for me, who I absolutely trust with my most intimate thoughts, whose advice I seek and opinion I value, is my husband, Dean. He has always been my very best friend.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Question #18

Who was your best friend in high school? Journaling: I have known Shannon since I was about 8 or so, but we became close in 1985 at Mountain Missions in New Hampshire. We shared a tent and conspired with each other to send messages to our boyfriends (there was a strict no boyfriend policy!) Later, my sister, Amy, Shannon and I formed a trio called ‘Vintage’. We sang in local coffee houses, church functions, etc. We were even on TV once! (A telethon for a local Christian station, heehee) I haven’t seen Shannon in years but if we were to suddenly meet on the sidewalk one day, it would be as if no time at all had passed.

Sherry and I became friends in my Junior year of high school. We always had so much fun. We goofed around, made each other laugh. We hung out together all the time, spent the weekend at the beach, went to Disney World, were camp counselors together, even shared the same job at least three times. After getting married and moving away, we drifted apart but have recently reconnected. It’s been fun reminiscing with each other.

Question #17

Who was your best friend as a child?

Journaling: I met Amy on the first day of school in 6th grade. She was in my home room class. We were best friends through all of middle school. We did EVERYTHING together. I went to her church, she came to mine. She came to youth group with me; we played at each other’s houses, and went to camp together. We were pretty inseparable. We drifted apart in high school. I’m not entirely sure why. I became involved with the choir, and she joined the drama club. I guess we just started becoming different people and our interests changed. The last time I saw her was right before I got married. She was doing some modeling and about to move into her first place. I have not seen or heard from her in almost 20 years, but I still think of her and would love to find her again.

The Hobo Doctor

Since last year, Dean has been suffering from an injury that has seriously hampered his marathon running abilities. He recently decided to run a half-marathon. He intended to take it easy. Since he couldn't put forth his best effort due to the injury, he wanted to at least make it fun. Since this was the Kentucky Derby Marathon, he decided to dress up as Colonel Sanders! Here he is posing with the KFC team:Everybody got a big kick out of him. Lots of people took pictures or posed with him. He was even mentioned in the newspaper. Dean had fun but would rather be able to run again.

Roan Quote: When Roan saw these pictures, he asked Dean, "Daddy, why did you dress up like a hobo doctor?"

Question #15

The air conditioner is still broken, so here I am. It's only 72 degrees outside this morning, but 84 inside my house. Grrrr.

Did you have a pet as a child, and what do you remember about your pet?

Journaling: We had lots of pets; gerbils, hamster, 2 dogs, several cats, turtles, guinea pig, parakeets, love birds, and cockatiels. But my favorite pets were a cockatiel named Casey and a cat named Shalom. Casey could say ‘hello’ and mimic whistling sounds. When I would walk home from school, as soon as he saw me through the window, he would start squawking. I could hear him outside. He would keep it up until I walked in the door. We had small group meetings at our house. He would be quiet the whole time, during dinner, and talking, but as soon as we all started singing, he would sing, too, with the prettiest trills. I loved that bird!

Shalom was a long haired cat that looked like a Maine Coon Cat only not quite as big. He was the perfect cat. He put up with just about anything (including being put in dolls clothes and walking around on a leash!). When cooking dinner, he would mill around the kitchen, and if you didn’t give him something to eat, he would bite your ankle. If you stalked him, then pounced, he would jump two feet into the air! He was the best cat ever!

*Yes, my sweatpants are tucked into my socks. Gotta love the eighties!

Roan Quote: Roan asked me if he could go to Mad Science Camp. I said that wasn't going to happen right now. He said, "But mommy, the commercial said it's fun and educational!"

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Question #16

I am so HOT. Our air conditioner has been broken since Sunday. They finally came out this afternoon and said they hope to get it fixed SOMETIME THIS WEEK! It is currently 91 degrees inside my house. Therefore I've planted myself in front of the computer with a fan blowing on me. This is how I've managed to catch up on some of these questions.

What Makes Me?

Journaling: I am a conglomerate of life experiences. I am a product of God, my family, my friends, my jobs, my husband, and my children. I’m a little bit different with each of these. I’m not entirely sure who I would be all by myself.

Yeah, I know, I skipped question #15. I'll get back to it.

Roan Quote: A couple weeks ago, Dean asked Roan if he'd like to help daddy do yard work. Roan said he was too stressed, and needed to play the Wii instead.

Question #14

What 5 lessons have you learned in life?

Journaling:

1. Your relationship with God is more important than ANYTHING else. My relationship with God, while so much less than I want it to be, is the only thing that keeps me sane sometimes. Without Him, I would be lost in a morass of fear, but He gives me peace.
2. Godly parents are priceless. I cannot possibly begin to stand up to the example that my parents have set for me. But I pray that my kids will see them in me someday.
3. Always treat your spouse with respect. My parents have always treated each other with the utmost respect. I truly desire to treat my husband the same way. When I fail, it’s my fault, not his.
4. Don’t judge others. People are so quick to judge. It bothers me how easily people believe things with out a shred of proof. Some think I’m naïve, but I would rather give people the benefit of the doubt. The bible says, “Judge not, lest you be judged”. Would you like God to judge you the way you judge other people?
5. Reduce stress, don’t create it. I hate feeling stressed. I don’t understand why some people make things so hard for themselves unnecessarily. I want peace in my life. I know some stress is unavoidable, but I imagine it would be better handled if we didn’t bog ourselves down with the avoidable kind.

Question #13

Who was your first kiss?

Journaling: I don't remember how old I was, perhaps around eleven. We had a home-group meeting at our house and the kids were all playing hide and seek back in the bedrooms. I was hiding under my bed with a boy named Lee. All of a sudden, he kissed me right on the mouth, then high-tailed it out of there! He was my first "boyfriend" although I don’t remember if that was before or after the kiss!

Question #11

What was your best teenage moment? (See? I told you I'd come back to #11!)Journaling: When I was 19, I went to YWAM, ‘Youth With A Mission’. I lived in Dumbarton, Scotland in a grand mansion called ‘Overtoun House’ for three months. We worked and studied and every weekend participated in street evangelism in Glasgow. We roamed the beautiful countryside, visited Edinburgh, took LOTS of pictures and made good friends. At the end of the three months of preparation, we went to Hamburg, Germany for three weeks. We worked with the Red Cross, and spoke/performed in local churches and the University. I sang in the band. It was a wonderful faith lifting experience. It played an important part in the budding relationship with my future husband. Also, while technically an adult, I was still in my ‘teens’, and going out of the country by myself, navigating international airports by myself and hailing my own taxi in Glasgow were all very new and scary to me. This trip was definitely a highlight of my ‘teen’ years.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

All the Cousins on a Camel

Friday, Amy and her kiddos came for a visit. We went to Edventure which is always fun. They have a new butterfly exhibit, too. At one point we got all the kids up on a camel for a picture:

Even Oscar was there! ;)

One of Kai's friends stayed with us for the weekend, too. Saturday, we basically hung out at the pool all day. In the evening, Roan had a friend spend the night. Tonight we're going to go to a cookout. So, busy weekend, but the fun kind!

ROAN QUOTE: We had a fun time this weekend, but now Roan is exhausted. This morning in church, he'd finally reached his limit and told daddy, "I'm just ready for my life to go back to normal."

Monday, June 8, 2009

Dabbling in Watercolor

Ok, inspired by the artistic talent of my children, and the incredible talent in watercolor of a friend of mine, I decided to try my hand in watercolor mini's. These are only 2 1/2 by 3 1/2, about the size of a playing card. The first one is my first attempt straight from my how-to book. If you could could see what the original looks like, you'd realize what a bad job I did. So, I won't show you the original! :) Besides, it was my first try, so I'm pretty happy with it.
The second is from a photo I recently posted on my photoblog, so no how-to here. I was on my own.

I think in both cases I liked the pencil drawing better before I painted it, LOL! Maybe I should stick with pencil sketching, but not yet, I want to keep trying.