Catch-Up

It's been a while since I last blogged and I thought I better take some time to catch-up on the last couple of weeks. I must say that time has flown by so quickly. I haven't mentioned much about my new job since I started, so I will tell you a little about how that is going.

When I took the director position at the daycare, I knew that things were in pretty tough shape there. I just didn't realize how screwed up every aspect of it was!! My first major change was to increase the tuition and change most of the payment policies. I can't believe that the hourly rate for childcare was only 40 cents more than 15 years ago. We did lose several families due to the increase (and I feel bad about that) but we can't give our service away for free.

We've been slowly purchasing equipment and toys to replace worn out stuff. We just got cots that are more sanitary to store than the old ripped up mats they were using. I can't believe how excited the kids got over "new beds". We also bought a toy kitchen set with dishes and pots and pans. Arranging the room into learning centers and switching out the toys has also helped reduce behavior problems.

We have a long way to go to be considered a "quality" childcare center, but we are slowly making progress. Most days I really enjoy my job. When I get home in the evenings, I struggle to get my mind turned off and usually look forward to going to work each day. The downside is that I have a hard time figuring out how to get laundry and housework done when I am gone so much. Mostly I miss not seeing Jeff all day every day like I have for the past 2 1/2 years.

Good Eats in Louisville

First, let me say that the conference last week was really good. The worship band was versatile enough to be able to do traditional hymns as well as contemporary/christian rock so we got the best of both worlds so to speak. They had some great speakers and I really enjoyed meeting many pastors and connecting names and faces. But one of the best parts of the week was the food!

The breakfasts at the B&B were really yummy. We especially liked the lemon raspberry crapes. Lunches were just whatever we could get close by the conference center and was usually either fast food or a sandwich at an all-American type of restaurant. We did have one afternoon free and ate at the cafe at Churchill Downs where we were served fried green tomatoes and Kentucky Derby Pie.

Evenings is when we tried to find something different. We took advantage of many ethnic restaurants in downtown Louisville. We ate authentic Mexican and Italian food as well as at both a Moroccan and a Persian restaurant. The Moroccan place was unique in that it was also a store, so it was filled with jewelry, rugs, robes, framed art, and pottery. My favorite was the Persian place. Persian food is from Iran. These are pictures of what we ate - sorry, I'm not sure what it is called except that it is a rack of lamb. After a week of eating out, I am sure glad to be home and eat cereal and PBJ's!!

Bed & Breakfast

I'm writing this from Louisville, Kentucky. Jeff and I headed down here Sunday after church for a conference for the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination. We decided to stay in a bed and breakfast about 2 miles away from the conference center. Central Park B&B is located in a historical area of downtown. All the homes are similar in size and shape as the one we are staying in (pictured above). This house was built in the 1880's and has the original hand carved wood work, stained glass, and 12 fire places. Some of the flooring is original, too.

It's been a relaxing day for me so far. The conference officially doesn't begin until tonight. Jeff has had meetings and a golf tournament since last night, so I have been lounging around here doing some reading and some daycare work that I brought with me. It should be a really good week.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

Tonight Jeff and I went on a date. He had tickets to the Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs AAA team) in Des Moines. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening to be outside. There was a good crowd of people, but I think the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks was a lot more fun. No one really seemed to be into the game - or even watching it! We ended the evening by getting ice cream at Coldstone Creamery. It was a good evening and I'm glad I got to spend it with my man!

Bird Watching

After seeing so many different birds at our feeders this past winter, I was really disappointed when they disappeared this spring and were replaced by grackles...and of course our very greedy squirrels. But I have discovered that spring brings a different set of birds, I just have to look closer.

As I sit typing this blog, there is a female flicker pecking away at the tree outside my window; I almost missed it because it blends in with the tree trunk so well. We've also been watching a pair of Baltimore Orioles come to our hummingbird feeder on the deck. They are very timid, so the only way to see it is to sit quietly or they won't come close.

That's the way it is in my own life, too. I get so caught up in what I had or what I think is missing that if I'm not careful, I completely miss the new blessings that God has given me. Sometimes I need to just sit quietly and focus on what is here in front of me right now. There is ALWAYS a blessing in your life...you just have to discover it.

Our Trip Home

After a fun time in Indiana at our college reunion, we headed home Saturday afternoon. After a bit, we started noticing that when we turned left the Yukon made a grinding sound - like the tire was rubbing on something. We pulled over and couldn't find anything. The further we drove the worse it seemed to get. We made the decision to get off the single lane highway through nowheresville and find a larger city just in case. It was a good move. We stopped and got a hotel about an hour south of Chicago in Bradley, IL, and ended up stranded there.

We are happy that we were stranded in a location that had just about every restaurant or store a person could want...there was even a mall, all within walking distance. Since there wasn't any garages open until Monday, we did a lot of walking. Monday morning we were able to get the Yukon in to be fixed. They were working on it by 8 a.m. and we were on the road by 10 a.m. The wheel bearing assembly was in bad shape and needed replaced. The mechanic say it was a good thing we stopped because it would never have made it back to Iowa.

No, we weren't happy about the delay or the expense of car repair, extra hotel, food, etc., but we are still thankful. Thankful that we didn't break down on the side of the road. Thankful that I wasn't traveling alone. Thankful that we weren't stuck in a town of 500 people. And thankful that God provided Jeff and I the opportunity to spend quality time together without the distractions of jobs and church.

College Reunion

A few months ago Taylor University Fort Wayne announced that it was permanently closing its doors due to financial reasons. This is the college that Jeff and I went to back in the mid to late 1980's. It was actually Fort Wayne Bible College at that time. While we are sad to see the college shut down, we were pleased that there was one more reunion planned. Jeff and I were excited to go to Heritage Weekend.

We had a great time touring the campus and seeing how it has changed since we went to school there. We went to one last chapel and Jeff sat through a class with one of his favorite professors. We chatted with many friends from college days and was able to tell past professors how much we appreciated them. For me, it was totally awesome to see close to a thousand alumni, of all ages, who sacrificed to go to a Christian college. Imagine how many lives that have been touched because of that sacrifice. Missionaries, pastors, teachers, counselors, administration, social services, and on and on and on. Wow...mind boggling!!

Check back soon for more about our trip!