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[Apr. 28th, 2008|11:39 am] |
So, I guess its about time for an update, if anybody reads this thing anymore. Man, I really need to get a new user pic. Well, hopefully in about 2 months I will be able to communicate electronically again, and I can get back in the loop.
So . . . we are moving to Charlottesville, VA! We were trying to decide between the U of Louisville and UVA for Andrew's med. school. We were pretty much decided on U of L, since he had a full scholarship to go there. But, he has always wanted to go to UVA (he almost went there for undergrad), and really was secretly wanting to go there. I was sure I wanted to go to Louisville, especially since it looked like we were going to be able to buy a house for under $60,000. We went on trips to visit both schools about a month ago, praying ahead of time that God would make it clear to us where He wanted us. The first trip was to VA. I LOVED absolutely everything about Charlottesville. At this point, I think if I could live anywhere in the country, it would be there. It is stunningly beautiful, one of the best towns to raise kids in in the country, and close to so many cool things, including D.C. And Andrew was fully convinced by the end of the weekend that UVA was the place for him. So, then we were on to Louisville. Louisville is a cool city, but, first of all, it is a city and I am not a city girl. The houses we were looking at were in a really, really bad neighborhood. We do live in a pretty bad neighborhood now (we have been hearing a lot of gunfire lately, sometimes right behind our house), but Weldon is "country bad" and this neighborhood in Louisville is "city bad."
Anyway, by the end of the two trips, we knew where we wanted to go, and just our being in such perfect agreement was enough to tell us where God wanted us. But the money issue was still a big one. So, we prayed in faith (some times wavering, of course) that God would provide for where He wanted us. We wrote a letter to the dean at UVA explaining our situation and . . . they (or rather God) gave us a full scholarship! He is so good to us. It is so true that He restores the years that the locusts have eaten.
Meanwhile, I can't wait to get out of here. It is so wet and nasty here (but not warm enough to turn on the air - not that a window unit helps much) that there were MUSHROOMS growing on our kitchen sink this morning. It is not as humid as Miami, where you feel like you are walking in a bowl of hot soup, but at least in Miami everything has central air. Central air makes all the difference!
Let the house hunting begin! |
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| (no subject) |
[Jan. 8th, 2008|05:06 pm] |
Once again, it has been a long time. I actually had access to the Internet several times over the holidays, as we spent a lot of time at Andrew's brother's house with his family, but I never got to it. We had a great time with them over Christmas and a spectacular time with my folks at a lake house in South Carolina over New Year's. It was so relaxing - I like the kind of vacations where there is stuff to do, but you don't have to do it, and no sight-seeing tours are involved. I hadn't seen Caleb in a year, or Micah and Mallory in about 6 months, so it was great to catch up. Boy do I love my future sister-in-law! Mom and Dad gave me an all-girls, all-day shopping trip for my birthday, and Mom, Mallory and I had so much fun. It was like the clothes out there were made for me (which never happens), but more than that the company was great. We should do it once a month!
Meanwhile, Andrew has recieved a full-tuition scholarship to U of Louisville, so it seems likely we will go there. Praise the Lord! We never thought it possible for that to happen. So, we are just waiting to hear from 2 other schools before we make our decision.
Jack is talking more than ever, and coming up with funny phrases out of no-where, like "Ga-Ga (my Mom), eat red pepper!" (Except that he drops his "r"s, sounding like he's from Boston. You know, he says "peppah," "showah," and "chowdah." He and I made up a rhyme, which he likes to yell in a funny, strained voice. It goes a little something like this: "Orange and brown! Feather on the ground!" What a funny little man.
Austin is growing like a weed. He still doesn't like to sleep anywhere but in my arms during the day, so there has been a lot of crying going on. Most of it was from me, during the weeks when I had no rest and couldn't get anything done because I was holding him all the time. Now it is from him, as we try once again to get him to sleep in his bed. The first time we tried he cried for 2-3 hours a day for 2 weeks. He is doing a little better now, but cried most of the day today, which is why I am at the library, getting a break.
I am thinking of getting a part-time cake-decorating job to get out of the house. That should be fun, as long as it doesn't kill my wrists. I have come to the realization that, though I want to be home with my little guys, I really need something else to do as well. I would love to do something at home, but I hate selling stuff, so I don't know what I would do with whatever I would make. So, I may venture out into the workplace once again. Those of you who know me well know how terrifying that is for me, which is why I have not yet made the necessary phone call. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 16th, 2007|04:46 pm] |
Its been a while since I got the chance to post - we still don't have Internet access, and with Andrew traveling and working, I very seldom get to the library. HE has been on interviews at 6 schools in the last two months. So far, he has 3 acceptances and right now his first choice is University of Virginia, and 2nd is University of Loiusville, KY. He is only going to accept one more interview, probably, at Dartmouth in New Hampshire (he might check out U of Vermont, if they will agree to interview him at the same time). We never expected him to be able to turn down interviews! He has gotten an amazing response. At this point our choice will depend on scholarship money. There has been some talk of a full ride! God is so good, and I am so proud of my husband!
Meanwhile, I am enjoying my two boys - most of the time. Austin is a sweet little love, smiling constantly and never crying unless something is wrong (hungry, tired, gassy). He doesn't sleep real well, though, so I am extra tired. Jack is still his sweet, hilarious self, though the terrible-twos truly are terrible with him when they strike, and he is experiencing a lot of seperation anxiety from Andrew. Andrew, Austin and I took a drive across the mountains to Tennessee a couple of weeks ago for an interview, and left Jack with his aunt and uncle. He had a great time, but boy did he make us pay for leaving him the following week. He also had to have his two front teeth pulled that week (poor guy - but he did SO well, and looks really cute), so it was a rough one. Meanwhile, he is learning to talk very quickly. He says 2 and 4 word sentences, and picks up new words every day. Some of my favorite phrases are "baby pine-tone" and "baby on the Momma" (when I am holding the baby). He also says "baby Austin." Yeah - I guess he likes to say "baby." This Sunday is his 2nd birthday, and he had a Cookie Monster party last week. He had a great time! He got a Magna Doodle, some great new lego-type blocks, a Cookie T-shirt and doll and a drum set (yes, we picked it out, though it was from Grandma and Grandpa Crichlow, and, yes, we are crazy). He loves them all! He is getting so big, and I love him so much.
As for me, when I catch a few minutes I am crocheting myself a scarf and knitting one for Micah, and reading and baking cookies. I am also enjoying seeing the Fall foliage for the first time. It has gotten so beautiful around here! |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 11th, 2007|04:34 pm] |
Today was my second day alone with the boys, as Andrew started teaching highschool geometry yesterday. Andrew is fed up with the teaching already, but hey, its a job! It has been going pretty well at home. I find myself getting irritated easily when I am trying to feed Austin and Jack is climbing all over me, pointing out all of the baby's body parts (including sticking his fingers in Austin's eyes), and kicking me in the stomach. I really have to remind myself that he's just being a 22-month-old. But there have been some really fun moments as well. I am finding it harder to go from one child to two than from zero to one from a physical perspective, but easier mentally. I guess that comes from already being in "parent mode" and used to giving up most of my time to my little ones. It doesn't hurt at all that these two are still napping for long periods at the same time!
Andrew's med school application process is going well. He has finished 11 out of 13 of the applications that he has recieved, and now we are mostly waiting to see if he gets interviews. I am sure he will. First choice so far is Albany Medical, and then probably Louisville. It is so weird to think of moving again in less than a year, after feeling stuck in Miami for so long!
I am really looking forward to the first cool front of the fall, which is supposed to hit on Sunday. The leaves are beginning to turn, which is also exciting. I have wanted to live in a place with seasons all my life, so I think Andrew is going to be putting up with a lot of excited exclaimations for the rest of the year! |
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| (no subject) |
[Aug. 30th, 2007|01:01 pm] |
We are now a family of four! Austin Richard was born last Wednesday, August 22, at 11:37am, via C-section. He was 8 lbs, 8 oz, and 19 3/4 inches long. He has quite a bit of brown hair, and dark eyes. He has a much pinker skin tone than Jack, but I think he may have Andrew's Asian eyes. He is so sweet and adorable. We have had a little bit of scheduling problems, as he got his days and nights mixed up for a couple of days, but I think that is getting worked out. We also discovered that this little guy is going to need a pacifier - he can't seem to get to sleep without sucking on something, so he was eating every 20 minutes or so for a little while. I wish the pacifier wasn't necessary - it was so nice not to have to use one with Jack - but it really seems to be something he needs.
I am doing well. I had a couple of bad days after my pain meds ran out, but I am feeling almost normal now. Tired, of course, but I can handle that pretty well when I am not in a lot of pain.
Here is a picture of my two precious boys. Jack is doing great, by the way. There has been very little evidence of jealousy, and Jack loves to kiss his baby brother.
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| (no subject) |
[Aug. 8th, 2007|10:28 am] |
So, I finally made it to the library today and got a library card. Thus, I can finally check my e-mail and journal. It is the smallest library I have ever been in, but it is better than reading all of my own books over and over and over. We also finally got a phone book yesterday. It is the smallest phone book I have ever seen. It is about 3/4 of an inch thick. In Miami the phone book came in 3 three-inch volumes.
We are getting settled in here pretty well. My only complaint right now is this darned heat wave we are having. Let me tell you, it is way hotter than Miami ever was. I don't mind that much, except that there is just nothing to do with Jack. I am considering taking him with me to the laundromat this afternoon, just to get him out of the house. Earlier in the week I took him to my Dr.'s appointment for the same reason. We did find a public pool with a wading area that he likes, but I think it's too hot even for that. Oh well, I guess fall will be even more enjoyable after all this heat.
I have to say that I have never lived in a town with such friendly people. Last night we went to a dinner party with 4 couples from our church, and I had a great time. This Sunday the entire church is throwing us a baby shower. We chose this church just becuase Andrew's brother attends and since we are only going to be here for a year we wanted to get "plugged in" as quickly as possible. Since then we have found out that it is the only integrated church in the area, so that is a plus for us.
Andrew is going on a men's retreat this weekend, which is making me a bit nervous - I am only three weeks away from my original due date, and 2 weeks from my scheduled C-section. The men's retreat is only 2 1/2 hours away, but you never know what could happen. And, who knows if he will get cell phone reception. And then, if I have to go to the hospital, what do I do with Jack (Andrew's brother lives 40 minutes away from us)? I think it will be really good for Andrew, though, so I am just trying to trust God. There are so many people from church who live near us that I am sure I could call someone in an emergency. |
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[Jul. 23rd, 2007|05:38 pm] |
So, here we are in North Carolina. We have been here about 3.5 weeks now, and I think we are settling in. It has been really interesting. Let me just start by saying that the town we live in has 2 stoplights. And the neighborhood we live in is not white. This being the South, that pretty much leaves just one option. At first we were a little freaked out - not that we might not have just as many problems in a white neighborhood, but unless it was full of red-necks, I would know what to expect. However, having been here for a little while now, we are feeling pretty comfortable. People are more or less friendly, and no one has keyed our car or thrown a brick through our window, so we are OK. Our backyard is a sort of highway between the street and an alley, which is a little disconcerting (you never know when you will see someone sauntering through), but what are you going to do? Apparently it has been that way for years.
Our house is really, really tiny. It is the kind of house that I used to drive past and say "how could you fit a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom in that house?" But we actually have two bedrooms. Tiny as it is, it is really cute and we are working on being organized and clutter-free.
Our street ends in some woods and a huge old cemetary, which I love. There are graves from the 17 and 1800s, and lots of beautiful old trees. It makes a fantastic playground for Jack. The weather has been beautiful lately - highs in the 80s, lows in the 60s and dry - so we have been taking lots of walks. This is a challenge sometimes because Jack refuses to hold my hand crossing the street, and the walk usually ends in a tantrum and me pulling him home. There have been a lot of tantrums lately, the "terrible twos" having set in a little early. It kind of scares me since I am scheduled to have a C-section on August 24, but I know we will get through it.
Andrew got his scores back from his second MCAT and did really well. He put in his initial application today. His essay is really incredible. I have no doubt that he will get acceptances. He is applying to about 15 schools, mostly in the East. The only exception is one in Chicago. My first choice would probably be Dartmouth, in New Hampshire. But any of them would be fine. The West coast would be interesting, but we decided it is too far from family. Meanwhile, he has several job leads he is catching up on this week.
We have already met so many nice people here, which is making up for the fact that the only place to go is "the" Walmart. |
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[Jun. 24th, 2007|06:18 pm] |
This will most likely be my last post for a while, as the computer is going into the moving van tonight. I think we are almost packed. For a little while I thought we weren't going to make it. We started packing pretty late in the week (first box wasn't packed until Thursday morning), and I am sick with a cold or something, and Andrew's mom, who was here to help with Jack while I packed, was too sick to get out of bed, and we lost power for 8 hours a couple of days ago, so it has been a challenge. But we are to that terrible odds-and-ends stage which means we are almost done. We should be in Melbourne by tomorrow afternoon
Jack has been really good, but I think he is getting a little concerned. Andrew has been outside most of the day today, and Jack has been cyring for him a lot and really clingy when he comes inside. The next week will be interesting with all the travel and change. He's a pretty laid-back kid most of the time, but all this change has to be unsettling for any little guy.
By this time next week we should be in our new house and mostly unpacked! Woo Hoo! |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 19th, 2007|06:43 pm] |
I finished working on my friend's apartment today. I think it went pretty well. As I said, I didn't take before pictures, but here are some of the afters:
The ottoman used to be a beat-up red with an Aztec print. The chair used to be white with orange stripes. I added the pillows to the couch, which was already slip-covered. I think slip-covering the chair was my biggest accomplishment.
I painted this mural - It only took about an hour, which was a relief, as I am short on time.
The cover on this lamp was one of several little things I did.
It was really fun, but I am glad it is over. We have not even started packing yet! Hopefully that will begin tomorrow. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 17th, 2007|02:18 pm] |
Yesterday I got started on decorating the apartment that I mentioned in the previous post. These things never go as well as I envision, but it went pretty well. I slip-covered an ottoman, made curtains and a cushion and began work on a lamp-shade that I hope to finish today. That leaves slip-covering a chair (scary - I have never done that before. I should have done it first because it is causing me some sleepless nights), painting a mural and sewing some more cushions. This is coming at a really bad time, but I am doing it anyway because it is such a great opportunity to practice. I am going back Tuesday to finish up. The only real problem so far is that sewing all day caused my fingers to swell up and hurt so badly that I couldn't sleep and almost cried. I guess that pesky carpal-tunnel syndrome is not gone. The thing is, nothing hurts while I am actually engaged in the activity, so I don't know that my wrists are getting inflamed until long after it is too late. Oh well, I am going to try to spread the sewing out a little better next time. At around 2 am I finally got up and took some Tylenol and then they stopped hurting at all. I will post pictures of the final product. I forgot to take
"before" pictures.
Meanwhile, Jack is sick today. He has a slight fever and a lot of sneezing. I don't feel so great, either. That little boy is starting to look so different - I think his hair cut coincided with a growth spurt and he has slimmed down even more. He is really looking like a little boy instead of a toddler. I am not ready for that! But, with another one on the way I guess I can just look forward to the next toddler faze.
Father's Day has been fun so far, in spite of the sickness. Jack and I got "Napoleon Dynamite" for Andrew, and we watched it this afternoon. Of course, our favorite part of any birthday/mother's day/father's day is the card with Jack's scribbling on it! |
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