Our baby's growing up!

Friday lost his first tooth today! Our little baby is becoming a little boy!

We are so proud!!

To my Husband

I am so thankful for my husband of three years (minus two days, at the moment). Jon is the greatest thing that happened to me since chips & salsa, and so much better!

If you know us, you'll know how opposite we are. I'm the brainy one, and Jon's the scatterbrained one. :) Well, okay, so maybe that's not exactly true. Without Jon, I wouldn't have someone to tell me where my purse is, and my phone (which mysteriously found its way out of my purse). He also makes sure I don't give into every hairbrained idea I have, yet he lets me be creative. He tolerates the cosmetics on the counter, paintbrushes by the sink, work stuff on the table, and shoes...well, everywhere. :) He asks me for all my receipts, which I stuff everywhere except my pockets or the checkbook (where they're really supposed to go). He reminds me of commitments I've made and dates I forgot to write on the calendar (I mean, really, what good is a day planner for a person who can't remember it to write it down??).

Jon likes to have things very planned out, and he'd prefer staying at home with his own free time over most things, yet he surprises me with an extra effort on getting the house cleaned, a special night out, or a fun time running errands together.

I, on the other hand, like rushing from one thing to the next. I like being busy on Saturdays. I enjoy working and running errands, as long as I'm doing it with Jon. I like making big plans, and coming up with ideas that sometimes scare Jon and make him want to hide the checkbook. I don't worry about money nearly as much as Jon does, and it helps both of us to see the other side.

Jon and I often laugh about our first 6 mos. to a year that we were married, and how much we butted heads on everything! Marriage was a huge adjustment for both of us, mostly because we were so different.

We've come to understand each other and how we think much better now. But even if we get more like each other each year, I don't think anyone will ever think we're just alike. But I think I like it better this way. It's more interesting.

On the other hand, we have in common the things that really matter. I'm so thankful that I have a husband who reaches out to others and wants to be involved in ministry wherever he is. And I'm glad I get to be a part of that ministry. I'm excited by the calling that God has given us, and we have our whole lives together to see that calling fulfilled.

Happy Anniversary Jon! I love you!

Signs you're still a child at heart

1. You wave to cows in trailers as you pass them on the road.
2. You tell dogs (that you don't even know) hello.
3. You spend a quarter at the store to get a humongo super ball out of the toy machine, and then bounce it all the way out to your car in the parking lot.
4. You ask for map colors for Christmas.
5. You still wake up early Christmas day.
6. You quote Veggie Tales without realizing it.
7. You could stay in the children's book section for hours at Barnes and Noble.

Feel free to add to the list. I know some of you are still children at heart, too! Don't forget to read the previous post from this morning!

New bloggers!

I wanted to welcome Margie into the blogging world! If you stop by her site, don't forget to play with her pet penguin, Petunia! I'm adding her to my list of links, as well as Karen V., my soon-to-be sister-in-law. Karen's been blogging for a little while, so she's not exactly new to the blogging world, but we just figured out that we both blog. :) The Ode to her Peacoat is a must-read.

Mystery Photo and other news

It's time for a game of Mystery Photo! I've taken a close-up shot of something around the house, and you get to guess what it is! Put your guesses in the comments, and then go to Teresa's blog to find out the answer! ONLY go to her page once you've guessed! No fair cheating!


In other news, I think we're going to pay off our car tomorrow! I say "I think" because we were supposed to last week, but somebody forgot to take the checkbook to Waco. ...Okay, it was me... It will be nice to finally own my little car! We've had it a little over a year now, I guess. What's really fun is changing my car from a debt to an asset in Quicken. I like to play with Quicken. I don't know what everything means, but I do know that when we paid off the truck it really made our financial situation look a whole lot better. Quicken tells you that the assets you have are just like money. So despite almost $10,000 in school debt, we might actually be in the black after tomorrow! It's amazing!

Next we tackle the rest of our (my) student loans. It'll be so nice to have those taken care of!

So one of my life goals is to get a song composed. I have had a song in my head for several years, probably pre-college and maybe even before that, that--throughout the years--I've grown quite attached to. It sounds really great in my head--lots of strings, a good balance of high and low, lots of layers, but sadly not many French Horns (I've got to find a way to fit them in). Anyway, I decided that since no composer was coming to my door to create a great work out of my song, I should at least try to do it myself. My only tool is Garage Band.

I'd like to mention that not many symphonies are composed in a garage, and therefore Garage Band is probably not the best tool for the task. When I try to find an oboe, all I find is jazz-playing trumpets. French Horns are nonexistent. I'd also like to mention that I have no idea what I'm doing in Garage Band. I had almost decided to post what I do have of the song so far, but decided not to do it. Instead, I'll just hope that a great composer happens upon my blog and is inspired to do great things with the song in my head. :) Either that or maybe I'll post it later. After all, a great idea isn't great unless it's shared.

On the other hand, it is a life goal, not a by-the-time-I'm-25 goal. So maybe I won't worry so much about it, and just wait for that composer to come along.

Announcement: The answer to Teresa's mystery photo is...the top of a computer monitor!

It's finally cold enough

We finally turned on our heater for the first time last night. It was odd not to have to walk around the house in a hat and coat, and to sleep with less than three blankets on the bed. Perhaps we should have turned it on sooner. And yet, now that it's on, I've noticed that it rarely turns off! It's like we've finally let it do it's thing, and it's getting back at us for waiting so long by running as much as possible! I may have to turn it back a notch and put on an extra layer. Right now it's nice and toasty in our house. I heard it was 30 degrees outside and couldn't believe it! And I heard it might snow tomorrow!! What an exciting time to live. :)