Run Run Run Run Run....aaaand Breathe

Needless to say, it's been a pretty whirlwind four days. I've driven diagonally across a state to Redmond Washington, driven down the length of Washington to Hillsboro Oregon, from Hillsboro to McMinnville and back. I'll done three sit-in's and one interview/oral exam in two different dispatch centers. I've had my hair cut at a local beauty school that was populated by students brandishing more tattoos and piercings than I've seen in a biker bar.

...wait, I've never been in a biker bar.

You get the point.

I've taken a freeing run through a beautiful wooded park in the heart of a metropolitan area, where you would never know you were in the middle of the city...and I have the mosquito bites to prove it. I loved the dirt paths that didn't wreck havoc on my poor knees, and the way that I could groove to my music without people giving me funny looks. I'm definitely going back this afternoon after it cools down from the current 81 degrees.

I've tried my first box wine...Pinot Evil (pronounced Pee-No) complete with the three "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil" monkeys on the box. It made me laugh. Plus hey, it was the equivalent to four bottles of wine for the price of two cheaper bottles. A no brainer in my eyes, and it was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the wine.

I've discovered that I want, more than anything, to get the Redmond job and settle our family up there. I fell in the love with the area, with the people in the Police Department, with the dispatch center. It's the first place I've visited on my list of "potential employers" where I felt at home. Funny, I never thought a place that close to Seattle would win my heart that way. So I have resolved to do anything in my power to get this job, and I believe I'm well on my way.

Eventually I will post a more in depth description of my times at both Redmond PD dispatch and Yamhill County (McMinnville) dispatch, but those are going to take up an entire post in themselves. Suffice it to say that I still don't really know where I stand with McMinnville dispatch, even after having a talk with the director. Redmond, on the other hand, I know exactly where I stand with. According to Matt (one of the recruiting officers for the PD), I not only passed the oral exam, I probably got the second highest score out of the four applicants they tested. There is one position open right now and another one coming open at the end of June when a dispatcher retires. Which means I have a very good chance of getting one of those spots.

Back home, both the boys have been fighting fevers, runny/stuffy noses, and now double ear infections. Poor Levi even had a ruptured ear drum. So they are both on antibiotics and are now doing much much better. They even slept most of the night last night, giving Nathan a chance to sleep for the first time in three days. Can I just say, my husband is a freaking rock star. He's somehow managing two sick infants on his own while I make my wild trip through two states. Only 4 days until I'm home, honey!

Quick correction to the earlier mentioned temp here in Hillsboro...it's now 88 degrees. Blech.

Insomnia in a 15 lb Package

Oh. My. Stinking. Heck.

Last night was probably the lowest point in our parenting experience since the days just following bringing the boys home. You know, those days when one of us had to be up at all times and in order to get ANY sleep we had to put the boys in the car seats?

Ok, maybe this wasn't quite that bad, but it wasn't good either. Nathan had already had a rough day while I was at work yesterday. Asher was either asleep or screaming all day long, while Levi was relatively well behaved. Once 8 pm came around, though, the roles switched. Asher was a happy little camper, finished his bottle quietly, went to bed quietly, and slept quietly all night long. Levi, on the other hand, decided half way through his bottle that he was going to scream any time I tried to put the bottle anywhere near his mouth (I think he was freaked out about having a hard time breathing while drinking his formula) and was only happy if I was holding him. No matter where I tried to put him down, even though he was fast asleep, he would start screaming.

This continued for a good hour or so before we finally got him to go down in his crib at around 9:30. We finished our last race on MarioKart and immediately went to bed...only to be woken an hour later by Levi screaming again. This time, there was no putting the little squirt down. Even laying down on the bed with him wasn't an option. Finally, in order to get some sleep for work today, I moved out onto the couch while Nathan gradually moved from sitting up in the bed holding Levi to laying down in the bed holding Levi.

That lasted approximately half an hour before the screaming started again, at which point I remembered the boys' swaddles that we had stopped using. Sure enough, I wrapped him up in one of those, rocked him for a few minutes, and was able to lay him down in his crib where he slept until about 4:30 this morning. That was at about midnight...keep in mind that I was also suppose to be up at 4:30. Ha ha ha, not! I slept in until 5:20, got up, put on clothes and a hat, got my food out of the fridge, and walked out the door....

...only not really. Because just as I was about to leave, Asher woke up with a very wet diaper which had shared its bounty with the front of his jammies. So before I could leave I had to change his diaper, put him in new jammies, and put him in the other swing. Should be interesting to hear whether he went back to sleep after I left. Understandably, after getting only about 3 1/2 hours of sleep last night, I decided I deserved a chai tea from Sorbenots, the only coffee place open in Baker at 5:50 am on a Sunday...I got to work at 6 am on the nose.

Ouch.

So please be praying that the boys get better today. It would be a God-send, both for Nathan (who is taking care of the boys by himself for the next eight days) and myself (who is leaving tomorrow morning to start her 8 day trip of Washington and Oregon to do job interviews/testing) to get a good night sleep tonight. Not to mention that we are so ready for the boys to not be suffering any more. Nothing rips your heart out like hearing your baby whimper in his sleep.

On The Mend

Levi's fever broke last night. I took his temp this morning and it was around 98 degrees, thank heavens. We got a little nervous when it climbed up to 100.4 last night, but it never broke the 101 limit, so we were safe. The boys are still having some breathing problems due to stuffy noses, but we got them a cool air humidifier (better for colds than warm air) for their room last night and they both slept pretty well.

Well, until around 4:30 am, that is. At that point, Asher woke up screaming and was promptly moved into bed with Daddy. Levi slept until about 5:15, at which point he woke up screaming and was moved to the swing where he promptly fell asleep again. Poor things. I know how miserable I am when my nose is stuffy and I can't breathe. At least I can take Benedryl, which is what I did last night...I'm still on a Benedryl hang over this morning. I vaguely remember stumbling into the boys' room at around 2 am to help Nathan give Levi some tylenol and then stumbling back to our room...what I don't remember was climbing back into bed and falling asleep again; I think I was probably asleep by the time I hit the doorway of our room.

The thing no one told me: when your kids have colds and sleep on their tummies, and don't yet know how to blow their own noses, their sheets get covered in snot. Sorry for the visual, but I thought I'd warn my mommy friends out there who may not have gone through baby colds yet. Be prepared to wash a lot of sheets.

Update

Nathan took the boys in to see the staff nurse this morning. Evidently Asher is completely back to normal, but Levi's getting the brunt of it. While Nathan was there, Levi's temp spiked from 97 to 100.1 degrees. Thankfully the nurse did an RSV test on Levi and it came back negative. Big sigh of relief here! The nurse said to keep an eye on Levi and if his temp goes above 101 to bring him back in. Other than that, we just need to keep him comfortable and he'll most likely get back to normal soon enough, just like Asher did.

In other news, I got a call from Penny at Jefferson County Dispatch (Madras, OR) asking if I was still interested in the position there. I told her I was, and she asked if I could come over there to test on June 1st. Unfortunately, that's the same day that I test at Tacoma Dispatch. I told her I was going to be in Washington that day and that it's one of the few things I can't reschedule. She said she was going to talk to the supervisor about rescheduling and then get back to me because I'm one of their top picks for this position.

About an hour later, she called back and asked if I had taken the POST test, which is a reading, writing, and math test. I had taken a test like that for this position, so I'm going to have the gal who is in charge of our personnel files here fax a copy to them on Tuesday. If it's the same test, I don't have to go over there to test. If it's not the same, I am scheduled to take the test at 9:00 am on June 3rd...as in, I get back from Tacoma on the evening of the 1st, work all day on the 2nd, drive to Madras on the 2nd and spend the night, test on the morning of the 3rd and drive home. Penny did mention, though, that if it's not the same test, she's going to contact my boss about the possibility of me taking the test here in Baker instead.

Gotta love having more than one possibility opening up to you!

Prayers for Sick Kiddos

We need some serious prayers for the boys. Both of them came down with a runny/stuffy nose two days ago. While Nathan and I were a little freaked out because it's their first cold, but we weren't too worried because it was just a runny nose. This morning, however, both of them woke up with a really bad cough. No fever yet, thank God, but we're getting them into the doctor today because there's still a really high chance of them developing RSV.

I know this little cold probably sounds pretty mild but because the boys are preemies (kind of hard to remember with them this big and healthy), their lungs still aren't 100% developed. If they get RSV, it could make it so hard for them to breathe that it's possible they would need to be put on ventilators at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). This is a worst case senario of course, but also a very definite possibility, especially since this was the first month they didn't get their Synagis vaccine, which protects against RSV.

So major prayers would be seriously appreciated, because I have no doubt in my mind what prayer can do. While there is never good time for babies to be sick, this is the worst possible timing as I leave in three days for my interview, testing, and sit-in tour. I really can't postpone these things, so it would be wonderful to know that our kiddos are a-okay before I leave.

Tags

I don't know what it is with my second born and tags. But he just LOVES to suck on them. He can have a toy with all manner of fun pieces to chew on and he almost immediately zeroes in on the stinkin' tag.


It kinda cracks me up.

Keep in mind that this photo was shot using a flash because he was in a moving swing...every time I tried to stop the swing, he would stop chewing on the tag. I hate using flash, but some times it can't be helped.

Runny Noses

Runny and stuffy noses.

Not a good combo for a restful night for anyone in the Labunski household.

Yes, my babies are sick. Nothing too major, just runny/stuffy noses. But it does make for some sleepless nights for our poor babies, and subsequently for mommy and daddy too. Night before last, Asher had to sleep in the swing so he could sit up and breathe better (you know how it is when you lay down with a cold and feel like you're suffocating) and Nathan slept on the couch to be close to him since he was waking up every 30-60 minutes crying. Last night was Levi and Mommy's turn out in the living room, while Asher managed to sleep in his crib quite soundly. Levi, on the other hand, was waking up every hour.

Hopefully they get over this soon and it doesn't become any worse. The chances of them developing RSV (very serious for preemies) is still pretty high since this is their first month without their Synagis shot, and I really don't want to see our kiddos land in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Now, lest you think I'm being overly dramatic or paranoid, it's a very real possibility. Preemie lungs develop slower than full-term babies, and getting RSV at this point could put them on ventilators. Most likely, they will have to get Synagis shots again next winter.

As it is, though, they're still pretty happy guys despite their runny/stuffy noses. And there is a possibility that these noses are a result of teething, especially since they aren't running any kind of fever or having any other symptoms. Who knows! But prayers would be appreciated, especially since Mommy is starting to feel a sore throat coming on, only 4 days before her big trip.

Speaking of big trips (is this post long enough yet? no? oh good.), there was one little speed bump on our journey of selling our house. On Tuesday, our realtor called Nathan and told him that the appraiser appraised the house $5000 lower than our asking price. That was a big bummer, especially since we're having to pay half of the closing costs as well, but we decided to go ahead and accept that amended offer. The buyers were more than willing to pay our initial asking price despite it being appraised lower, but their bank flat refuses to approve a loan for over the appraisal price. Lame. As it is, we'll still have 4-5 months worth of living expenses to put in savings after we pay off all of our debt. And when you think about it, that's pretty darn good for two punk kids under 30 years old with twin infants. Plus, there really was no guarantee that we'd get another offer this good if we were to turn this one down because of $5000.

So, life continues its little ups and downs, and we're just hanging on for the ride.

The Boys Playing

Remember that rolling I was talking about? It's forced us to cage the boys. Not literally, but we now put them either in their pack n' play to do "roll time" in the living room, or on the floor in their bedroom, which is currently our most baby proof room. Here's a few photos of the boys playing on their floor. The first one is of Levi...I'm not sure how he got that ring on his arm, but it cracked me up.



The boys have also started "hanging out" together. Here's a video of Levi talking to Asher. They had been talking like this for a good five minutes before I got the video, plus they were sharing the white teddy bear back and forth. I love how Asher is laying there simply listening to every 'word' his brother is saying. One word: adorable. Sorry it's sideways, I completely spaced that I can't rotate the video. Silly me.

Post Edit: That growling you hear is what we refer to as the boy's Gremlin noise. It cracks us up every time they do it. Levi started that interesting little habit first and it took Asher about two or three weeks to catch on and start doing it himself. And isn't it adorable how they start holding hands at the end?

YAY YAY YAY!

I finally got a call from Janis at McMinnville dispatch! I am scheduled to meet with a supervisor for about an hour at 1:30 on the 27th, and then I get to sit in for a few hours during swing shift that evening. Janis also invited me to come back during one of the weekend swing shifts if I want, because she'd love for me to see if I'd like to work there! There wasn't any indication of an interview, but I'm wondering if they're one of those places that doesn't really give you an interview until they have met you first. Who knows. But once again, it's sounding promising...keep praying!

Anyway, now I have something to do between my interview on the 26th and my testing on the 1st. I think I'll go back to McMinnville on either Friday or Saturday night to do a second sit in, if for no other reason than to convince them that I REALLY REALLY REALLY want this job.

YAY!

Denial Denied

I'm embarassed.

First of all, let me start this post with a disclaimer.

Disclaimer: Ever since having the boys, I am overly emotional when it comes to sentimental things. Lost puppies, small children crying...heck, even mildly sentimental commercials get me going. So needless to say, last night was doomed to be a tear jerker.

Last night was my final club at Baker City Young Life.

I think I've been in denial about actually leaving Baker. Yes, it's been the biggest thing looming in our lives for a few months now, but the actual leaving part is still such a fluid thing. We really don't know when we'll be leaving (besides having to be out of the house no later than June 29th) and we have no idea where we're going. As a result, I've managed to avoid any sort of goodbyes...until now.

Last night I had to say goodbye to my Young Life kids that I've been developing relationships with for three years now. I don't get to stick around to see most of my girls graduate because most of them are either sophomores or juniors. I had to say goodbye to some of my Young Life co-leaders, who have become like an extended family despite not really seeing each other much outside of YL activities. One of my co-leaders, Beth, pulled myself and two other leaders who are leaving up to the front of the club house last night and told all of the kids that we were leaving.

Here's the problem. She pulled Chris and Teresa up first. I thought maybe I had gotten off the hook, which was kind of a relief because I was already starting to tear up over her (admittedly funny) goodbye to those two. I told you, the water works kicks on easily these days! But no, next Beth called me up. Oh man. Before I got half way from the back of the club house to the front, I was already fighting my hardest to not cry.

Now, if you don't know me very well, let me tell you a little about myself as a cryer. It isn't pretty. Especially when I'm fighting it. My face contorts, my nose starts running, my eyes get red, my face gets blotchy, and when the tears start it's like a freakin' waterfall. Oy. Then Beth has to put her arm around me and start saying nice things. Double oy. Beth, I love you dearly but why did you have to be so nice?!?!

Needless to say, it was embarassing. And there was nothing I could do but stand there, blubbler in front of all of my Young Life kids, and then beat a hasty retreat to the office as soon as possible. Granted, it did crack me up when several of the senior boys came up and gave me a group hug...unfortunately, it was about 90 degrees in the club house and I'm about arm pit level to every single one of those boys.

All this to say...I'm going to miss you guys. So much. This is the club that became family, the leaders that helped me on my path to becoming a Christian, who loved me despite my short comings (that was not a pun by the way), the kids who taught me what it means to look beyond the surface to the person inside, the kids who taught me how to balance being a "grown up" with being a kid at heart. I know I'll get involved with a Young Life club where ever we end up, but they won't be 'home'. I wish I could fully describe what you all have meant to me and my family, but I simply can't.

Levi-Bebi

That's Nathan's nickname for Levi. We have Asher-Pants (don't ask) and Levi-Bebi. Anyway, here's me and my little monkey up at the golf course on Saturday. He was having a grand ol' time facing forward in the pack, looking around at everything and kicking his legs like crazy. Gotta love this boy.

Below is Levi's first photography adventure! He actually pushed the shutter button! Interesting composition, it's a little blown out, but not bad for an 8 month old, if you ask me.

With two photographers as parents, at least one of them is sure to be interested in photography...right?

Post edit: Has anyone noticed that Levi's head is almost as big as mine? Is that normal? Ha ha ha.

The Labunski Household These Days

Things have been progressing quickly. Mostly in the land of infant twins. It's pretty insane.

Trying out rice cereal. They hate it.

Asher

Playing together. It's awesome to watch. We've even caught them giggling at each other.

Making friends with the doggy. Their doggy loves them and they love their doggy. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.


Playing on daddy.


Trying out their high chairs. Still a little unsteady for them yet, but we're getting there!


Tried out another new food...sweet potatoes. Definitely a bigger hit than rice cereal.

Levi

Asher

And slowly losing our minds.

Other things on the boys list of spectacular achievements:

• Almost crawling...Levi managed to scootch himself half way across the living room at Nathan. And Asher is consistently getting up on his hands and knees. Eek.
  
• Had their first big outdoor adventure (4 hours) while Nathan took photos of the Matthew Long Memorial Golf Tournament. They loved being outside and were absolute angels the entire time.
• Making zerbert and Gremlin noises.
• Rolling. And rolling. And rolling. And chewing.

Gotta love life in the Labunski household.

God is Faithful!

Even when we start losing faith!

This morning, I was in a major downer. I was feeling discouraged and overwhelmed about finding a job before I get the boot here and we have to move out of our house in 47 days. We know that we have family to support us and give us a place to live if necessary, but we'd much rather have a destination and employment lined up before then.

I should have known that just when I'm starting to feel down about all of this, God comes through and opens yet another door! Today I received an email from Tacoma Dispatch inviting me to test for their dispatcher and communicator positions I applied for on June 1st at 8;30 am!!! Yay! Also, I am set up for a sit-in at Redmond WA dispatch for a couple of hours on the night before my interview.

Silly me, doubting God. But I do have to say that I love being amazed by Him every time I turn around!

Today's Program Brought to You By the Word "Discouraged"

I still have yet to get a single interview offer from anyone besides Redmond. I have approximately 12 other applications out there. I've included cover letters and resumes. I've called HR departments and directors to follow up.

And I'm t-minus 47 days from being unemployed. With twin infants to support.

I feel like I've done an incredibly good job staying positive throughout this entire fiasco. I know that if we haven't found a new job when my time in Baker runs out, we'll be ok for a few months. But I shudder to think about all that will imply. How will we decide where to move? Will we end up living with family somewhere in order to avoid paying to move into two different places within the space of a few months? Because let's face it, moving into a rental always costs a TON of money, between rent, deposits, application fees, and utility start up fees. If we end up living with family for a little bit, how do we do that with two infants without driving whoever we're living with (and ourselves) absolutely crazy?

The most frustrating thing is that I STILL have not heard back from my #1 pick, despite hearing very encouraging things from the director each time I talk to her. I was told that I should be hearing back about an interview by the end of the week...last week. A week ago. So where do I go from here? I called yesterday to request a sit-in while I'm over on that side of the state for my Redmond interview, so I'm hoping to hear back about that today.

But at what point do I simply ask, "Am I getting an interview, or am I wasting my time barking up the wrong tree?" Because I'm putting a lot of my time and focus on this potential job, time and focus that I could be using to pursue other possibilities. Would this director appreciate me being blunt and honest, or would it tick her off and ruin my chances?

Here's what I've heard so far from her. I've been told that she thinks I'd be a good fit there. Every time I call, she says that she's glad I called. When I tried to set up a sit-in for last weekend while we were on that side of the state but she didn't get my message until the day we were coming home, she said she was SO sorry and that she thinks it would be great for me to come see if I'd like working there. She's said that they aren't ignoring me, that they're just trying to figure out where to place me on their list of applicants, which is when she told me that I should get a call by the end of the week...last week.

So do I need to just cool my jets and be patient? Or keep lighting a fire under their butts? ...figuratively speaking, of course.

I'm just so tired of being in limbo. I know that God is teaching us through this experience, but haven't we learned the lesson well enough by now?

Because I Haven't Had Time Until Now

Seriously. I haven't had a spare moment since the middle of last week. So I'm doing my Mother's Day post now....three days late.

I love being a mom. I mean, I never thought that I would find my truest identity in having children, but I have. Mother's Day just gave me the chance to ruminate over all the tiny things I love about being a mom and that I love about both of my adorable babies. So here they are, in list form (what else?):

Things I Love About Being a Mommy:

• I love how my boys' eyes light up every time they see me, no matter how angry or tired or sad they may be.
• I love how happy and energetic they are first thing in the morning.
• I love that they don't wake up screaming for food, so we have about an hour after they wake up to bring them into our bed, snuggle with them for a while, and eat some breakfast ourselves while making funny faces at them and making them laugh.
• I love showering their little faces with kisses. I can't seem to kiss them enough.
• I love the sound of their laughter.
• I love how much they love to laugh. They will giggle at the slightest provocation.
• I love that my arms sooth away hurts and fears.
• I love when they get really still, put their hand on my cheek, and stare into my eyes intently. It always makes my breath catch and my heart skip a beat.
• I love that I know these two little human beings more intimately than I know any other human in the entire world. I have known them from day one. They are actually a part of me and that puts me in awe.
• I love watching them sleep.
• I love how smooth their cheek feels against mine. That, my friends, is a place of bliss.
• I love how soft their hands are.
• I love how the tops of their heads smell.
• I love that I simply can't imagine not having both of them. It's impossible to me.
• I love watching Nathan with them and seeing how intensely he loves them also. It just does something to a woman's heart to see the father of her children so willing to get down on the floor with his sons, play with them, snuggle with them, take naps with them. He is so devoted to them and to us. Becoming a father has created a man in Nathan that I am so incredibly proud of.
• I love that I use to want a daughter. I was afraid of having boys. But now...now I can't imagine having anything but my boys. Boys rock. Boys are da bomb.
• I love that I would never change anything about our little family. I am so amazingly content and I have never felt more blessed than I do right now.

This is by no means a complete list, but rather a small sample of the things I have been thinking about in the past few days. If I wanted to, I could keep going on and on for days...but I think you'd get really tired of reading this post. So I won't.

Hope everyone else had an amazing Mother's Day!

Happy Dance!

I got an interview with Redmond Washington Police Dispatch Center!!!!!!!!!!!

I received a call yesterday afternoon from Matt with the city of Redmond saying that he had my application and asking if I was still interested in the position with them. But of course! He then said he had to ask me a question, the same questions he asks every Oregon applicant.

You do realize this is Redmond Washington and not Redmond Oregon, right?

Affirmative.

Ok good. You'd be amazed with how many people don't get that.

So we set up the interview for 11 am on the 26th. I'll be driving up on the 25th, hopefully doing a sit-in at the dispatch center that evening (need to call Matt back on that one), do the interview on the morning of the 26th, putz around Redmond by myself for the rest of the day, spend the night because it's waaaaaaay to far to drive up one day and drive back the next, and then head home on the 27th.

Yay! I'm so excited! This is honestly one of the applications I submitted and then kind of forgot about - because I applied SO LONG AGO and never heard anything back until now - but always kind of hoped that it would work out because I think we'd enjoy living there. It pays relatively well for the area that it's in and Nathan absolutely loved the couple of years that he lived in that area (Seattle). And because this is a lateral dispatch position, I don't have to take any tests!

I am torn, however. If I hear back today or tomorrow about an interview with McMinnville, I'll definitely accept the interview offer. Mcminnville would put us a little closer to family and has a lower cost of living with a very slight decrease in pay, so we'd be able to save more each month. To put it in perspective, the national average cost of living index is 100, Redmond's cost of living index is 147 (47% higher than the national average), and McMinnville's cost of living index is 101 (46% less than Redmond). And yet the Redmond job only pays more than 8% more than the McMinnville job, starting pay. Hmm. That's a far cry from the 46% difference in cost of living; I'm kind of having a hard time making the math add up.

If I were to get a job offer from Redmond and didn't have any hint of one from McMinnville, however, I'd take the Redmond one.

But the bigger question here is...

Why did I wake up at 2:30 am, unable to go back to sleep?

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Did you know?

"Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a regional holiday in Mexico, primarily celebrated in the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico. The holiday commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862, under the leadership of Mexican General Ignacio Zarogoza Seguin.
The outnumbered Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army that had known no defeat for almost 50 years. However, Cinco de Mayo is not "an obligatory federal holiday" in Mexico, but rather a holiday that can be observed voluntarily.

While Cinco de Mayo has limited significance nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. However, a common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day, which actually is September 16 (dieciséis de septiembre in Spanish), the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico."

Courtesy of Wikipedia. After all, according Michael Scott (ala The Office), "Wikipedia is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject, so you know you are getting the best possible information." Hee hee, oh it makes me giggle every time.

Now why do those of us Americans who claim no Mexican decent celebrate this illustrious holiday? Honestly, I have no idea.

No, I take that back. I do have an idea. It's because we Americans (this is a gross generalization, forgive me) are always looking for another excuse to party. Boogie down. Booze up. Sorry if this is a slightly slanted view on our society, but I'm a dispatcher. This is the world that I know. The dark underbelly if you will. Thank goodness for our normal friends, or I'd be convinced that the entire world is full of stupid.

Wow, I seriously didn't mean for this post to be a downer. Please, go enjoy your Cinco de Mayo! I know I'm going to - tonight is Homebrew Club and I feel some excellent homebrewed beer and possibly a little wine coming on! In moderation of course.

'Cause I'm waaaaay too white to claim ANY Mexican decent.

Talk About Die-Hard

Remember those disappointed yard saler's I talked about in my last post?

I was half joking when I said that. Little did I know that it was all too true.

Starting at 7 this morning, while I was hanging out with Levi in the living room and Asher was still asleep, I heard a car door close outside. Peeking out of the blinds of our front windows, I saw an older man walking up to the house. UP. TO. THE. HOUSE. Now I don't know about the rest of you, but if I were to notice the following things, I would probably conclude that there is no yard sale: first, it's RAINING. Second, there is an obvious lack of yard sale items to be seen in either our yard or our driveway. Further more, having seen these things, there is no way I would think it was ok to walk up to the residence, regardless of whether it's 7 am or 7 pm, and knock on the door.

The only reason this man DIDN'T knock on the door was because I managed to open the door before he did that or rang the door bell, in order to head off anything that might set our dog barking and wake up Asher. Unfortunately, Bandit heard a strange voice and started barking anyway. The man then proceeded, despite hearing Bandit going nuts and two babies crying, to ask me not only if we were selling any guns (HA! like we're going to get rid of our guns), but also how much we wanted for our Tundra because his friend is looking for a truck exactly like that. At this point, I was ready to chew rocks.

But rather than ruining my dental work, I instead put up a sign on our front door stating, "Yard sale canceled due to weather. Do not knock or ring door bell." And yet, despite that, when Nathan went outside to take out the trash at around 8:30, he was accosted by several people asking if the yard sale was still happening, and whether we were selling any cast iron skillets. I mean, really people?

Needless to say, when we actually DO have this yard sale, we will not be advertising it in the newspaper this time. I'm afraid that if we get rained out again, the natives just may storm the fort.

I Think This Is A Little More Than 50% Chance Of Rain

Today was suppose to be our yard sale. We have been busting our butts to get everything in our house sorted into three piles: keep, toss, sell. Sounds like that show on TLC where they come in and clean out those horrendously messy houses, doesn't it?

Anyway, I successfully sorted out the three remaining spaces yesterday (our room, the bathroom, and the back closet) and took the final photo of the ridiculous pile of stuff that is currently inhabiting our outside shed waiting to be sold. From now on, if Nathan and I want to buy anything, we're going to take out that photo, look at it nice and hard, and then decided whether we actually need another piece of crap to schlep around. Here, take a gander yourself.


But don't hate us, remember that a big part of that is Marla's stuff as well.

Anyway, we were all ready and rearin' to go for the yard sale today. We had yard sale signs to put out, dots to put prices on for individual items, the alarm set for 6 am to give ourselves plenty of time to set up before the sale started at 9 am. We even had Carly lined up to take care of the boys for a couple of hours in the morning so we could focus on setting up. But this morning, when the alarm went off at 6 am and I looked outside, I was greeted with...


Yeah, no yard sale today folks. I know you can't really tell but it's raining pretty hard out there. This is the second time we've had to postpone due to rain.

A further bummer? Today was also suppose to be the huge Young Life yard sale, and usually it gets set up the day before and then a couple of the kids camp out next to the stuff so no one steals it. I'm really hoping they held off on setting up, but I'm not sure they did since yesterday was a relatively nice day. Major bummer dude.

It was also suppose to be our church's youth group yard sale AND the Soroptomist yard sale today. That makes for a LOT of disappointed yard salers.

So stay tuned, we may be having a yard sale in two weeks when I have another weekend off.

Weather permitting.