An update is definitely in order!
If you haven't
heard, two weeks ago, I started a new job working in childcare at our
church. I don't really have a lot to say about it, but I do really like
it. I work with 2's and 3's. I actually got sick about a week ago and
now have bronchitis, so I have actually only worked a handful of days so
far.
After our announcement about a month
ago that Nate was hired by AT&T, he went through orientation to
learn more information about the job. We discovered more about what the
position required than the job description actually explained, and
apparently about 1/3 of new hires for premises technician do not make it
past the first week of
training. Nate was determined to give it his all, and he absolutely did,
but by the second day, we knew it was not to be. Nate felt very
discouraged because he really wanted to succeed, but after much prayer,
we really felt an overwhelming peace that it was okay. We should have
been very freaked out by the unknown future, but we really weren't. Only
a few short days later, our church was having their annual men's
conference, called Men's Summit. I strongly encouraged my introverted
husband to attend knowing how much I enjoy the women's conference,
and now that his schedule allowed, he did decide to go with my brother.
It was so amazing for him to
have the opportunity to take time away from our employment troubles to
spend time with God and other godly men. If the job at AT&T had
worked out, he would not have been able to go. God's timing is perfect.
Before
the conference, Nate applied to a few new jobs and on the last day of
the conference, he heard back about an available position in Flower
Mound (a suburb north of us in the Dallas/Fort Worth
metroplex). If you knew us before we moved to Texas, you'll know that
Nate worked for a campground in southern Michigan for about 5 years. He
worked outside in all seasons doing mostly groundskeeping and lawn
maintenance type work. This new position is similar, in the city parks
and athletic fields. Anyway, he was hired, and he just completed his
first week. It offers really great benefits, and he is doing amazingly
well considering it is only his first week. There is definitely room for
growth for Nate to move up from this entry-level position. We are
really excited that we are finally on a road to some semblance of
normalcy, and we are looking forward to seeing what the future holds for
us now!
Showing posts with label Nate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nate. Show all posts
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
All By Myself...
My husband is leaving in seven hours and thirty-two minutes. For two weeks. Ten days, to be more precise, but for all practical purposes, two weeks. He'll come home for four days and then leave again. And this 10 days gone, 4 days home, 10 days gone, 4 days home, 10 days gone cycle will continue pretty much indefinitely. And I support him and our decision to do this 100%, but that doesn't make saying goodbye much easier. I usually don't like to post my raw, unedited, emotional thoughts on my blog, but today, it just seems the right way to express my current feelings.
I know I should feel blessed that my husband has a job, a very good job, that so far he really enjoys. I know I should feel thankful that I am married to a hard-working man who is so committed to providing for us. I know I should be glad he isn't in the military and that we won't be separated for months on end. I know I should be reminding myself that this is temporary. I know I should appreciate these things, and I do. I really do.
But right now, it hurts. Right now, I don't care if I sound like a big, whiny baby. I don't want him to be gone for two weeks, and I don't want to be alone. I don't want to be away from him for even one night. I know what it's like when half of me is in another state in a hotel and I'm...here. I know my identity is not so tied to him that I'm not my own person, but being separated still feels...wrong. And I hate it.
We will be okay. Rest assured. I know the absence will make our hearts grow fonder, and I know we can see each other via FaceTime almost every night...which will be the best part of our days. I will keep reminding myself that this is temporary. He won't be doing this traveling gig forever. Our best estimate is that he'll be doing it for two years. And having an end date (no matter how accurate it is) totally helps. Because if I thought for a second that he would be gone every two weeks for the next thirty years, I would not be able to let him go.
We can do this. I can do this. My days will be busy and full of spending time caring for my niece. Some will fly and others will drag. I will feel independent and bold some days and timid and scared on other days. I will have girls' nights and my Financial Peace class. I will have Pinterest and movies and crafting and blogging and designing. I will have church and Jesus.
But it will still be hard.
I'm not ready, and I never will be. But I will be okay.
____________________________________________
"I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." - Psalm 121:1-2 NIV (emphasis added by me)
I lift my eyes up unto the mountains
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from You, Maker of Heaven
Creator of the Earth
Oh how I need You, Lord
You are my only hope
You're my only prayer
So I will wait for You
To come and rescue me
Come and give me life
– "I Lift My Eyes Up", Strong Tower, Kutless
I know I should feel blessed that my husband has a job, a very good job, that so far he really enjoys. I know I should feel thankful that I am married to a hard-working man who is so committed to providing for us. I know I should be glad he isn't in the military and that we won't be separated for months on end. I know I should be reminding myself that this is temporary. I know I should appreciate these things, and I do. I really do.
But right now, it hurts. Right now, I don't care if I sound like a big, whiny baby. I don't want him to be gone for two weeks, and I don't want to be alone. I don't want to be away from him for even one night. I know what it's like when half of me is in another state in a hotel and I'm...here. I know my identity is not so tied to him that I'm not my own person, but being separated still feels...wrong. And I hate it.
We will be okay. Rest assured. I know the absence will make our hearts grow fonder, and I know we can see each other via FaceTime almost every night...which will be the best part of our days. I will keep reminding myself that this is temporary. He won't be doing this traveling gig forever. Our best estimate is that he'll be doing it for two years. And having an end date (no matter how accurate it is) totally helps. Because if I thought for a second that he would be gone every two weeks for the next thirty years, I would not be able to let him go.
We can do this. I can do this. My days will be busy and full of spending time caring for my niece. Some will fly and others will drag. I will feel independent and bold some days and timid and scared on other days. I will have girls' nights and my Financial Peace class. I will have Pinterest and movies and crafting and blogging and designing. I will have church and Jesus.
But it will still be hard.
I'm not ready, and I never will be. But I will be okay.
____________________________________________
"I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." - Psalm 121:1-2 NIV (emphasis added by me)
I lift my eyes up unto the mountains
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from You, Maker of Heaven
Creator of the Earth
Oh how I need You, Lord
You are my only hope
You're my only prayer
So I will wait for You
To come and rescue me
Come and give me life
– "I Lift My Eyes Up", Strong Tower, Kutless
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Hanukkah!
So last night, Nate and I took our niece to a Hanukkah service and party at our church. I should preface by saying that our church has a large-ish Messianic Jewish ministry, which means they minister to Jews who believe in Jesus as the Messiah. They meet about once a month on the first Friday evening of the month, which I believe is when the Sabbath technically starts (at sundown). We have been to a service before, as it is open to anyone who wants to attend and is not limited to Jewish people only. Since I've never been to a service at a Jewish synagogue, I can't say with any degree of certainty, but I would imagine this service is a cross between our regular weekend services and a traditional Jewish service.
I love experiencing new and different things as often as I can, so going to a Messianic Jewish service was an awesome cultural experience for me. A few interesting things to mention:
• They read from the Torah in Hebrew and then again translated into English.
• They do not write out God or Lord as, in Jewish tradition, God's name is considered so holy and revered that it's too holy to try to spell or write on paper. Instead, they write G-d and L-rd.
• They sing songs in Hebrew (I think?) and in English. We sang the famous song (in the movie/musical "Fiddler on the Roof") Hava Nagila as well as others. The song that got stuck in our heads the most is "Shema Yisrael" which means "Hear O Israel" and the rest of the song translates to "the Lord, our God, the Lord is one."
• There is a group who does traditional Jewish dances during the worship part of the service, which is soooo awesome.
So they explained Hanukkah to us, which I am going to sum up to the best of my knowledge. If this is totally off, please don't be offended. This is my blog and not a history paper, so I'm not going to do a ton of research for this. I am leaving out a lot of what I'm sure are important details, so if you are curious, look it up. :o)
Basically in the time between Malachi and the Gospels, there was a really bad king who forced the Jews to worship the Greek gods in the Temple and to slaughter pigs on the altar, which is obviously a huge afront to how the Jews were to worship the One Living God as per the Law in the Old Testament. One man rose up in rebellion and started a revolution that overthrew the Empire of this bad king. They rededicated the Temple to God. During the uprising, they only had enough oil to last one day, but it is believed that God made the oil last for eight days instead of one. The Menorah is a symbol of God's constant protection and provision for his people, Israel. I believe this is recorded in Maccabees, but since that isn't in our canon and I'm too lazy to look it up, I wouldn't know for sure.
Anyway, before attending this service, I had a very limited knowledge of what Hanukkah actually is. I knew what the Menorah was and the Dreidl, but as for their meanings, I had no idea. At the end of the service, the pastor of Jewish ministries, said this, "You can basically sum up all Jewish holidays like this: They hated us and tried to kill us. We fought back. We won. Let's eat!"
We laughed so hard. Love it. After the service, we went to the party. They served some traditional Hanukkah food, which is predominantly fried to remind us of the miracle of the oil. They did some more dancing to teach anyone who wanted to learn. There were photobooths, music, driedl games and the chocolate coins all throughout, and festive decorations. So much fun. The only thing I didn't like is that there were too many people for the size of the room! My niece, Ellie, loved the driedl! It was such a good experience, and I would recommend something like it to anyone who is curious about Hanukkah.
I love experiencing new and different things as often as I can, so going to a Messianic Jewish service was an awesome cultural experience for me. A few interesting things to mention:
• They read from the Torah in Hebrew and then again translated into English.
• They do not write out God or Lord as, in Jewish tradition, God's name is considered so holy and revered that it's too holy to try to spell or write on paper. Instead, they write G-d and L-rd.
• They sing songs in Hebrew (I think?) and in English. We sang the famous song (in the movie/musical "Fiddler on the Roof") Hava Nagila as well as others. The song that got stuck in our heads the most is "Shema Yisrael" which means "Hear O Israel" and the rest of the song translates to "the Lord, our God, the Lord is one."
• There is a group who does traditional Jewish dances during the worship part of the service, which is soooo awesome.
So they explained Hanukkah to us, which I am going to sum up to the best of my knowledge. If this is totally off, please don't be offended. This is my blog and not a history paper, so I'm not going to do a ton of research for this. I am leaving out a lot of what I'm sure are important details, so if you are curious, look it up. :o)
Basically in the time between Malachi and the Gospels, there was a really bad king who forced the Jews to worship the Greek gods in the Temple and to slaughter pigs on the altar, which is obviously a huge afront to how the Jews were to worship the One Living God as per the Law in the Old Testament. One man rose up in rebellion and started a revolution that overthrew the Empire of this bad king. They rededicated the Temple to God. During the uprising, they only had enough oil to last one day, but it is believed that God made the oil last for eight days instead of one. The Menorah is a symbol of God's constant protection and provision for his people, Israel. I believe this is recorded in Maccabees, but since that isn't in our canon and I'm too lazy to look it up, I wouldn't know for sure.
Anyway, before attending this service, I had a very limited knowledge of what Hanukkah actually is. I knew what the Menorah was and the Dreidl, but as for their meanings, I had no idea. At the end of the service, the pastor of Jewish ministries, said this, "You can basically sum up all Jewish holidays like this: They hated us and tried to kill us. We fought back. We won. Let's eat!"
We laughed so hard. Love it. After the service, we went to the party. They served some traditional Hanukkah food, which is predominantly fried to remind us of the miracle of the oil. They did some more dancing to teach anyone who wanted to learn. There were photobooths, music, driedl games and the chocolate coins all throughout, and festive decorations. So much fun. The only thing I didn't like is that there were too many people for the size of the room! My niece, Ellie, loved the driedl! It was such a good experience, and I would recommend something like it to anyone who is curious about Hanukkah.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Journey to Financial Peace - Part 1
Let's start at the very beginning – a very good place to start, naturally. ;o)
Early 2000s. Financial Peace University [FPU] was offered at my then church. My concept of Dave Ramsey and FPU was that this class was for middle-aged families who had major financial difficulties, as in major credit card debt, mortgage, etc. Sort of like an AA for finances. For some reason, I just had that stereotype in my head.
2009. Nate and I decided we weren't happy with our finances. We didn't have what we considered major debt, but we just knew there were a lot of things we should be doing but weren't, such as saving for retirement, and we had no idea where to start. We got Dave Ramsey's book, "The Total Money Makeover," as a gift. We excitedly read the beginning of it, and then...stopped. Not for any reason, but I don't think we had hit enough of a "rock bottom" to feel desperate enough to change our situation. Dave Ramsey says, "you have to get mad." We definitely weren't mad at that point.
2010. Toward the second half of the year, I went through a period of unemployment. I have no idea how we managed without racking up a ton of debt. Our idea of a budget was to write down the bills that we had to pay, such as our loans, etc., and then to make sure we covered them. It was an attempt, but it certainly wasn't a very good way to go about it. So suffice it to say, we weren't budgeting at the time. Right before Christmas, I was offered a job, and we moved to Texas. You can read about all that here and here.
Early 2011. We hadn't been in Texas longer than a few weeks when we felt convicted about the fact we hadn't been tithing. It's embarrassing to admit, but we hadn't tithed faithfully pretty much ever. We put in a little here and there, but the 10% God requires as per the Bible, yeah, no. We didn't. I recently heard a statistic that 5-7% of Christians tithe. I could write a whole post about this, but I'll just say that that makes it easier to admit since we obviously weren't alone. Tithing has changed our world. It requires faith. And because of that, we have been forced to get our finances under control. It's been HARD. But God is faithful.
August 2011. Remember up there where I said we hadn't hit rock bottom? Well, in August, we did. Three weeks without work in addition to three planned (but not budgeted-for) cross-country trips? If we had been budgeting properly, we could have saved the money beforehand. But, we didn't. Because of our ownlack of planning stupidity, we got ourselves into consumer credit card debt for the first time. Yeah, that one is hard to admit. Ouch. This is what Dave Ramsey calls stupid tax (the price you pay for a stupid decision). Anyway, we discovered that Financial Peace University was offered at our church, and the class had already started. BUMMER. We didn't have the money for the class materials anyway. But, we "got mad" and were determined to do something about this hole we had dug for ourselves.
September 2011. We did our first real budget in September. That process is initially so hard. To scrounge up all of the info of where every single dollar you spend goes is, well, painful. But so worth it. I can honestly look back and say it was the hardest part. We also took an Equip class at our church about what the Bible says about how to handle money. Our new way of handling our finances was definitely not perfect, but we felt encouraged. I started listening to The Dave Ramsey Show hour-long podcasts, which helped keep us motivated. We researched more about the Seven Baby Steps (which we now have memorized), and we started saving for our baby emergency fund plus cost of materials for the FPU class at our church that starts in January.
October 2011. Nate and I finally understood how the zero-based budget works and wrote out our monthly cash flow plan. Thanks to bumming materials from an old FPU kit, we started using the envelope system for groceries, eating out/date nights, personal care items, vehicle care, etc. It has helped a ton to not just use the debit card for those things. Before if we had gone over our budget by $5, I would have just said, "oh well." Now, when paying with cash, I can't do that, and it really helps us stay under our budget. At the end of the month, we finished Baby Step One: the $1,000 emergency fund plus the cost of materials for FPU! We feel so encouraged. I started listening to the 3-hour-long Dave Ramsey show at work, which continues to inspire and keep me motivated to start Baby Step Two and our debt snowball.
November 2011. We wrote our zero-based budget/monthly cash flow plan at the beginning of the month, as we will continue to do. As we are right now, we are scheduled to pay off our consumer credit card debt by the beginning of March 2012, though we would love it if we could beat that. We have budgeted for a teeny-tiny Christmas, and we will hopefully be able to scrounge up some extra income in the next few months. Nate and I are so in-sync about this, which is apparently not the case for most married couples in our situation. I am so thankful for that. Our next goals are, in this order, to pay off: our truck, my student loan, our car, and then Nate's student loan. These are based on pay-off amounts (as the interest rates are all very close to the same). Right now it looks like it will take up to two years, but then we will be finished with Baby Step Two, and we can be DEBT FREE.
You can read all about Dave Ramsey and everything he teaches on his website, but just for quick reference, the Seven Baby Steps are: 1 - $1000 emergency fund, 2 - pay off debt using the debt snowball (except the house, if applicable), 3 - build full emergency fund (3-6 months expenses), 4 - invest 15% of income in retirement, 5 - save for kids' college, 6 - pay off house, and 7 - build wealth. Since we don't have a house or kids yet, we will adjust this to fit us as recommended by Dave. Having kids and buying a house will probably fall somewhere between step 2 and step 4, depending on how quickly we can pay things off and save for other things appropriately.
I know personal finances are a very private thing for most people, and since this is the Internet, I will not share tons of details. But, Nate and I are so excited about this. We are embarrassed about the stupidity and ignorance that got us to where we were, but we don't even mind talking about it because we are on the path to get out of it. I will continue to update on our progress, probably after we start the class!
Early 2000s. Financial Peace University [FPU] was offered at my then church. My concept of Dave Ramsey and FPU was that this class was for middle-aged families who had major financial difficulties, as in major credit card debt, mortgage, etc. Sort of like an AA for finances. For some reason, I just had that stereotype in my head.
2009. Nate and I decided we weren't happy with our finances. We didn't have what we considered major debt, but we just knew there were a lot of things we should be doing but weren't, such as saving for retirement, and we had no idea where to start. We got Dave Ramsey's book, "The Total Money Makeover," as a gift. We excitedly read the beginning of it, and then...stopped. Not for any reason, but I don't think we had hit enough of a "rock bottom" to feel desperate enough to change our situation. Dave Ramsey says, "you have to get mad." We definitely weren't mad at that point.
2010. Toward the second half of the year, I went through a period of unemployment. I have no idea how we managed without racking up a ton of debt. Our idea of a budget was to write down the bills that we had to pay, such as our loans, etc., and then to make sure we covered them. It was an attempt, but it certainly wasn't a very good way to go about it. So suffice it to say, we weren't budgeting at the time. Right before Christmas, I was offered a job, and we moved to Texas. You can read about all that here and here.
Early 2011. We hadn't been in Texas longer than a few weeks when we felt convicted about the fact we hadn't been tithing. It's embarrassing to admit, but we hadn't tithed faithfully pretty much ever. We put in a little here and there, but the 10% God requires as per the Bible, yeah, no. We didn't. I recently heard a statistic that 5-7% of Christians tithe. I could write a whole post about this, but I'll just say that that makes it easier to admit since we obviously weren't alone. Tithing has changed our world. It requires faith. And because of that, we have been forced to get our finances under control. It's been HARD. But God is faithful.
August 2011. Remember up there where I said we hadn't hit rock bottom? Well, in August, we did. Three weeks without work in addition to three planned (but not budgeted-for) cross-country trips? If we had been budgeting properly, we could have saved the money beforehand. But, we didn't. Because of our own
September 2011. We did our first real budget in September. That process is initially so hard. To scrounge up all of the info of where every single dollar you spend goes is, well, painful. But so worth it. I can honestly look back and say it was the hardest part. We also took an Equip class at our church about what the Bible says about how to handle money. Our new way of handling our finances was definitely not perfect, but we felt encouraged. I started listening to The Dave Ramsey Show hour-long podcasts, which helped keep us motivated. We researched more about the Seven Baby Steps (which we now have memorized), and we started saving for our baby emergency fund plus cost of materials for the FPU class at our church that starts in January.
October 2011. Nate and I finally understood how the zero-based budget works and wrote out our monthly cash flow plan. Thanks to bumming materials from an old FPU kit, we started using the envelope system for groceries, eating out/date nights, personal care items, vehicle care, etc. It has helped a ton to not just use the debit card for those things. Before if we had gone over our budget by $5, I would have just said, "oh well." Now, when paying with cash, I can't do that, and it really helps us stay under our budget. At the end of the month, we finished Baby Step One: the $1,000 emergency fund plus the cost of materials for FPU! We feel so encouraged. I started listening to the 3-hour-long Dave Ramsey show at work, which continues to inspire and keep me motivated to start Baby Step Two and our debt snowball.
November 2011. We wrote our zero-based budget/monthly cash flow plan at the beginning of the month, as we will continue to do. As we are right now, we are scheduled to pay off our consumer credit card debt by the beginning of March 2012, though we would love it if we could beat that. We have budgeted for a teeny-tiny Christmas, and we will hopefully be able to scrounge up some extra income in the next few months. Nate and I are so in-sync about this, which is apparently not the case for most married couples in our situation. I am so thankful for that. Our next goals are, in this order, to pay off: our truck, my student loan, our car, and then Nate's student loan. These are based on pay-off amounts (as the interest rates are all very close to the same). Right now it looks like it will take up to two years, but then we will be finished with Baby Step Two, and we can be DEBT FREE.
You can read all about Dave Ramsey and everything he teaches on his website, but just for quick reference, the Seven Baby Steps are: 1 - $1000 emergency fund, 2 - pay off debt using the debt snowball (except the house, if applicable), 3 - build full emergency fund (3-6 months expenses), 4 - invest 15% of income in retirement, 5 - save for kids' college, 6 - pay off house, and 7 - build wealth. Since we don't have a house or kids yet, we will adjust this to fit us as recommended by Dave. Having kids and buying a house will probably fall somewhere between step 2 and step 4, depending on how quickly we can pay things off and save for other things appropriately.
I know personal finances are a very private thing for most people, and since this is the Internet, I will not share tons of details. But, Nate and I are so excited about this. We are embarrassed about the stupidity and ignorance that got us to where we were, but we don't even mind talking about it because we are on the path to get out of it. I will continue to update on our progress, probably after we start the class!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Pre-Moving Emotions
Nate's really been taking the emotions as they come and handling them really well. As I mentioned, if I were in his shoes, I'd be a complete and utter mess. He is leaving the state and area he has known his WHOLE LIFE. I can't imagine how hard that is. Personally, I have been postponing dealing with this move emotionally. I have been too busy organizing and planning and cleaning and being practical about it that I haven't really allowed myself to really process it. Sure, I've had my semi-daily visits to Valerie and Andrew's Facebook pages to see pictures of my new charge and adorable now 8-week-old niece. Nate and I have also been immersing ourselves in everything Gateway Church, not in a cult-ish type way but just because it helps us to get excited about the awesome things we have to look forward to. Thus far, I've allowed myself to experience the exciting bits. The scary and sad bits? Not so much. I know I am going to miss people like crazy and will go through a lonely stage, but I know that the reality of the move and all of the emotions that come with it will hit me when we get to Texas. I will likely experience every emotion imaginable upon our arrival, so I guess for now I will just let myself focus on the excited bits and postpone the sob-sessions.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Deer and SAU
Imported Livejournal entry 02.11.08
_____________________________________________________
What a weekend I've had.
Friday Night
I got off of work at about 6:30. I decided to explore and find a different way home. The roads were decent that night, and I took a good look at Google Maps before I left. I was driving along, having a good ole time listening to the Father Gilbert Mysteries (which are amazing, Focus on the Family Radio Theatre dramatizations, btw) when I found my way into Hanover. I wasn't lost as I had known that much. I kept driving on what I thought would take me back to Moscow, the road I always take home. Well, this road became that road, which in turn became something else. I didn't want to get totally lost and waste a bunch of gas in the process, so I turned around. I wasn't entirely sure where I was, so I wasn't driving very fast, about 25 to 30 mph. All of the sudden, out of completely nowhere, a doe walks out in front of my car. NOTE: I said the deer walked, and she definitely did just that. She wasn't in any hurry, as far as I could tell. Anyway, she came out of a wooded area, and as there was no shoulder, I had no warning until she was on the road in front of my car.
Naturally, I slammed on my brakes, and thankfully, I didn't swerve. If I would have thought of it, I would have honked as I was breaking, but one doesn't think of EVERYTHING in situations like these. I don't think it would have helped much anyway. I screamed bloody murder as I nailed the doe in the center of her body with the center of the front of my car. I watched the deer from impact to landing, and I still can't believe it happened the way it did. Well, after I hit her, she slid up on my car but just a little bit, and then it threw her to the left. Have you ever seen Twister, when the cow is spinning around in the tornado? This doe did at least 2 somersaults in the air, head over heels, before landing in the snowy ditch, hitting butt/back side down. That part of it is a bit humorous, looking back, but at the time, I couldn't believe it happened.
I stopped on the road, trying to catch my breath, hoping my car was okay, and glad no one was around to see it happen. All I could think of was 1) Calling Nate, and 2) Was the deer okay?
I drove forward, glad to see my car was still functioning normally. I got a hold of Nate and decided to turn my car around to find the deer and to figure out what to do next. I knew I wouldn't be able to rest until I knew that poor doe was okay. Well, she didn't exactly scamper off as though nothing had happened, but she didn't die on impact either. I pulled over as much as I could, as there was no shoulder, and when I saw her there, I started balling. I watched as she tried to get up once, then twice, but couldn't stand on her back two legs. Her front half was fine, but she couldn't walk! I couldn't handle that! I'm such a softy. Nate calmed me down over the phone, though I'm not sure how as by now I was sobbing uncontrollably. I finally left because we decided that since my car was the only vehicle involved, and I only have very basic car insurance, that it was unnecessary to call the police. I kind of wanted someone to come put her out of her misery...I hated to see her suffer! Nate found where I was on a map and gave me directions to get back to Moscow. It turned out I had been going the right way. I had to drive by the "scene of the crime" again, and the deer was gone. I couldn't see her anywhere. I have to say, I was relieved. Hopefully she was just stunned and was able to get up and go on with her life. Unfortunately, she probably was so frightened, she got up enough to make it to the woods, and died there. I try not to think about that.
I'm not a person who loves animals so much that I can't stand to see them hunted. On the contrary, I know there are far too many deer, especially in Michigan. But for her to die because of an accident, as a waste. Ugh, I was sickened at that thought. Oh well, such is life. I will never know what happened to her, and I will have to be okay with that.
Moving on.
Saturday was a fabulous day of shopping in Lansing with Becca. We had such a great day. Either we have the same taste in clothes or I am just a copycat, but I ended up buying the same lounge pants and shoes as she did. That night, the weather started to get really crappy, and when I drove her to Spring Arbor, it was to the point of dangerous. The snow was drifting really badly, and there were whiteout conditions. She invited me to spend the night, and I decided I didn't want to have another accident (after my literal run-in with the deer).
I stayed. It was fun, too. We went to Ormston to visit my brother. That was hilarious. I remember 4 or 5 years ago, walking onto O3 on our way to O4 with some of my female friends and having ZERO guys talk to us. I was probably a freshman or sophomore at the time, and I knew a few of the guys that lived there from camp and/or classes. It was so ironic because this time, I'm at least two years older than all of the guys there, and more guys talked to me than I can even remember. I don't even remember any of their names! Maybe it was because I was "Jonathan's sister" and I was with Becca, but it was just really humorous. I had a great time looking at the Ormston pictures hanging on the walls. What a great tradition someone started. I knew so many of those names and faces. I didn't feel as much like a stranger when I was standing in Ormston, seeing and remembering those faces; guys like Peter Blair, Ryan Jones, Corwin Koppelman, Brian McKinley, MY FIANCE Nate Piatt, Kevin Eccles, Ron Holsworth, Tom Maynard, etc. Suddenly I didn't feel so awkward being there.
College hasn't really changed since I went there. The faces are different, but the people and atmosphere are the same. Even M1 seemed to be decorated the same as it had been before. We watched High School Musical (which is actually really cute, kind of like the Lizzie McGuire movie), and then I crashed on Becca and her roommate, the RA's couch. I think I wouldn't mind spending the night there again, on weekends when my parents are up north. It wasn't awkward, but I think it would have been better had I been more prepared. There were a few things I would have liked to do, but I didn't have time, like:
1. Visit Nate Woods
2. Go to the library and see if they have any good audiobooks I could listen to on my commute
3. Hang out at the Cougar Den
4. Go to Chapel with them (on a Monday, of course)
5. Visit the Art Center
I did think that if I did visit them on a weekday, that it would be fun to go with them to class, with a teacher that I used to have, just for fun. I would also enjoy sitting in on an art class, though if it were drawing, I just know Mr. Bippes would do something crazy like call on me for a critique, and that would just be so awkward! I can still critique art, but I'm so out of practice at doing it in front of people who actually know what I'm talking about that I would just hate it. I basically would just like going to a class and not having homework. Even two years after graduating, that's still probably one of my favorite things...no more homework. Ever.
Oh, I forgot to mentioned that I bumped into the lovely Melanie Baldwin when I was picking Becca up that morning! How fabulous to see someone I live so close to but hang out with so rarely! We have decided that we need to get together, and soon!
Needless to say, the deer and the weather didn't ruin my weekend, but it sure was not a normal weekend by any stretch of the imagination. I will enjoy getting back to my normal life this week. Work, dog lessons, wedding planning, Valentine's Day, etc.
To my local friends: Drive safely on those crazy Michigan roads! And watch for deer!
Cheers.
_____________________________________________________
What a weekend I've had.
Friday Night
I got off of work at about 6:30. I decided to explore and find a different way home. The roads were decent that night, and I took a good look at Google Maps before I left. I was driving along, having a good ole time listening to the Father Gilbert Mysteries (which are amazing, Focus on the Family Radio Theatre dramatizations, btw) when I found my way into Hanover. I wasn't lost as I had known that much. I kept driving on what I thought would take me back to Moscow, the road I always take home. Well, this road became that road, which in turn became something else. I didn't want to get totally lost and waste a bunch of gas in the process, so I turned around. I wasn't entirely sure where I was, so I wasn't driving very fast, about 25 to 30 mph. All of the sudden, out of completely nowhere, a doe walks out in front of my car. NOTE: I said the deer walked, and she definitely did just that. She wasn't in any hurry, as far as I could tell. Anyway, she came out of a wooded area, and as there was no shoulder, I had no warning until she was on the road in front of my car.
Naturally, I slammed on my brakes, and thankfully, I didn't swerve. If I would have thought of it, I would have honked as I was breaking, but one doesn't think of EVERYTHING in situations like these. I don't think it would have helped much anyway. I screamed bloody murder as I nailed the doe in the center of her body with the center of the front of my car. I watched the deer from impact to landing, and I still can't believe it happened the way it did. Well, after I hit her, she slid up on my car but just a little bit, and then it threw her to the left. Have you ever seen Twister, when the cow is spinning around in the tornado? This doe did at least 2 somersaults in the air, head over heels, before landing in the snowy ditch, hitting butt/back side down. That part of it is a bit humorous, looking back, but at the time, I couldn't believe it happened.
I stopped on the road, trying to catch my breath, hoping my car was okay, and glad no one was around to see it happen. All I could think of was 1) Calling Nate, and 2) Was the deer okay?
I drove forward, glad to see my car was still functioning normally. I got a hold of Nate and decided to turn my car around to find the deer and to figure out what to do next. I knew I wouldn't be able to rest until I knew that poor doe was okay. Well, she didn't exactly scamper off as though nothing had happened, but she didn't die on impact either. I pulled over as much as I could, as there was no shoulder, and when I saw her there, I started balling. I watched as she tried to get up once, then twice, but couldn't stand on her back two legs. Her front half was fine, but she couldn't walk! I couldn't handle that! I'm such a softy. Nate calmed me down over the phone, though I'm not sure how as by now I was sobbing uncontrollably. I finally left because we decided that since my car was the only vehicle involved, and I only have very basic car insurance, that it was unnecessary to call the police. I kind of wanted someone to come put her out of her misery...I hated to see her suffer! Nate found where I was on a map and gave me directions to get back to Moscow. It turned out I had been going the right way. I had to drive by the "scene of the crime" again, and the deer was gone. I couldn't see her anywhere. I have to say, I was relieved. Hopefully she was just stunned and was able to get up and go on with her life. Unfortunately, she probably was so frightened, she got up enough to make it to the woods, and died there. I try not to think about that.
I'm not a person who loves animals so much that I can't stand to see them hunted. On the contrary, I know there are far too many deer, especially in Michigan. But for her to die because of an accident, as a waste. Ugh, I was sickened at that thought. Oh well, such is life. I will never know what happened to her, and I will have to be okay with that.
Moving on.
Saturday was a fabulous day of shopping in Lansing with Becca. We had such a great day. Either we have the same taste in clothes or I am just a copycat, but I ended up buying the same lounge pants and shoes as she did. That night, the weather started to get really crappy, and when I drove her to Spring Arbor, it was to the point of dangerous. The snow was drifting really badly, and there were whiteout conditions. She invited me to spend the night, and I decided I didn't want to have another accident (after my literal run-in with the deer).
I stayed. It was fun, too. We went to Ormston to visit my brother. That was hilarious. I remember 4 or 5 years ago, walking onto O3 on our way to O4 with some of my female friends and having ZERO guys talk to us. I was probably a freshman or sophomore at the time, and I knew a few of the guys that lived there from camp and/or classes. It was so ironic because this time, I'm at least two years older than all of the guys there, and more guys talked to me than I can even remember. I don't even remember any of their names! Maybe it was because I was "Jonathan's sister" and I was with Becca, but it was just really humorous. I had a great time looking at the Ormston pictures hanging on the walls. What a great tradition someone started. I knew so many of those names and faces. I didn't feel as much like a stranger when I was standing in Ormston, seeing and remembering those faces; guys like Peter Blair, Ryan Jones, Corwin Koppelman, Brian McKinley, MY FIANCE Nate Piatt, Kevin Eccles, Ron Holsworth, Tom Maynard, etc. Suddenly I didn't feel so awkward being there.
College hasn't really changed since I went there. The faces are different, but the people and atmosphere are the same. Even M1 seemed to be decorated the same as it had been before. We watched High School Musical (which is actually really cute, kind of like the Lizzie McGuire movie), and then I crashed on Becca and her roommate, the RA's couch. I think I wouldn't mind spending the night there again, on weekends when my parents are up north. It wasn't awkward, but I think it would have been better had I been more prepared. There were a few things I would have liked to do, but I didn't have time, like:
1. Visit Nate Woods
2. Go to the library and see if they have any good audiobooks I could listen to on my commute
3. Hang out at the Cougar Den
4. Go to Chapel with them (on a Monday, of course)
5. Visit the Art Center
I did think that if I did visit them on a weekday, that it would be fun to go with them to class, with a teacher that I used to have, just for fun. I would also enjoy sitting in on an art class, though if it were drawing, I just know Mr. Bippes would do something crazy like call on me for a critique, and that would just be so awkward! I can still critique art, but I'm so out of practice at doing it in front of people who actually know what I'm talking about that I would just hate it. I basically would just like going to a class and not having homework. Even two years after graduating, that's still probably one of my favorite things...no more homework. Ever.
Oh, I forgot to mentioned that I bumped into the lovely Melanie Baldwin when I was picking Becca up that morning! How fabulous to see someone I live so close to but hang out with so rarely! We have decided that we need to get together, and soon!
Needless to say, the deer and the weather didn't ruin my weekend, but it sure was not a normal weekend by any stretch of the imagination. I will enjoy getting back to my normal life this week. Work, dog lessons, wedding planning, Valentine's Day, etc.
To my local friends: Drive safely on those crazy Michigan roads! And watch for deer!
Cheers.
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