Thank you

Thank you, my friends who long ago gave up on checking here for new posts, thank you for remembering that today, of all days, there might be something new worth reading.

It is the eve of Autumn.

The thought crossed my mind a few days ago that the season would be changing soon and for an instant I dismissed it as an insignificant thing, but in another instant I literally felt the crisp air and the energy brought on by a brisk walk on the Wabash Trace and was filled with excitement. Yesterday I was thinking about the upcoming holiday season and it energized me so much I was giddy with plans to host Thanksgiving dinner at my house. (Just a thought.) Today we were talking about the pictures on our walls and Tim mentioned his John Deere wall hanging and I remembered that we had several wall hangings and table runners I had forgotten about that were seasonally appropriate so instead of doing homework I ran around cleaning the clutter off of my tables to make room for my apple tablecloth and scarecrow coffee table runner. Now the clutter is on the floor but the tables look great. I feel good right now.

A lot has changed in my life since I last wrote, so let me catch up for a bit. We have a new grey kitten named Bandit. He's no Bubba, but he's cute and we love him. Last month I started school again. I'm taking online classes and hope to finish my MBA in three years (less if I get ambitious, but I'm taking it slow for now). I have a new job (thank the Lord) as of two weeks ago! I still work at Glen Haven (the nursing home) but now I'm the administrative assistant instead of a bath aide and I enjoy it. It's nice, too, not to be ashamed when people (especially friends from college) ask what I'm doing for a living. Administrative assistant may not seem that great either, but it's a heck of a lot better than a CNA and eventually my boss wants me to take over Human Resources, which will be wonderful experience that will help me get even better jobs in the future. I'm optimistic. Tim and I are part owners in an airplane, and we plan to be mostly out of debt in five years (that's five years too long if you ask me, but at least we have a plan).

We moved to a bigger house a little over a year ago, which you may already know, but only recently did it begin to feel like a real home. The transformation began when Tim rearranged the office to make it more suitable for studying (just for me). For the first time we have shelves and memorabilia and pictures and diplomas up on the walls and it makes all of the difference in making the house feel like ours. Also, two weeks ago my mother and stepdad and grandmother came down from North Dakota to bring us a full-sized dining room table (we've never had a table that could seat more than four), and it looks great. That helped make the house more homey as well, but I haven't told you the best part: they brought me a piano, a gift from my mother. I've never had one so I've been practicing at my church when I go to clean, but it's not very convenient. When I walked into the study and saw it sitting there I cried. I play it every day; it's a constant temptation for me, and I have to sit for at least a minute or two almost every time I walk by. I can't thank you enough, Mom.

So life seems pretty good right now. I'm sure there are challenges ahead; school will get tougher, finances are always an adventure, and there's the eternal question: what next? How long should we stay here, when should we have kids, should we move to Wichita? Lincoln? North Dakota? We just don't know. But we're happy, and we'll just roll with the tide as it comes.

Thanks again for checking in, and in case you thought I forgot, here's the link you were looking for. :)

Love to y'all, and happy Fall.