Construction is under way

Construction began on April 24th!

This is a view from the roundabout in front of our new house.




















It didn't take long to create a hole in the ground.... It seems like a really, really big hole. I'm told not to worry, because it's normal to worry about size during the different construction phases. Let's see if the advice is true. I'm told the hole will look really big, and once the rooms are framed that everything will look small.

Cool that we have a water line already run into our mud pit. (It rained for the two days after digging.) If we crank it on, we can fill up our "swimming hole" real quick!

A view from the corner of our lot. Note: We are NOT part of the Parade of Homes. We are the house next door. :) Lee is checking out the neighbor's house construction while he waits for me to take oodles of photos.

Adam's prom

Adam went to prom with Marie last Saturday. Below are some photos of Adam and his friends that were taken before the big event.

Awww... such a good-looking couple!

A full-length view of Marie's dress. It's very princess-like.

Adam, Marie, Kelsey, and Joe(?). Did you notice that Adam's flower has been crooked in all of the pictures so far? Seems Marie didn't know how to pin it and nobody noticed it during the picture taking!

Finally, the rose is on correctly!

My son, the king! (Seems a little proud of himself, wouldn't you agree?)

My-Calorie-Counter.com

I found a great, free website that everyone who is striving to eat healthier should know about! It's www.my-calorie-counter.com. It has tools to calculate what your target calorie intake should be, how many calories you burn doing various activities, menu ideas, and neato cool progress trackers. (Yes, I used the word "neato" in my blog. I AM old!)

Anyhoo, it's been a great way for me to "write down" what I eat every day. It's a way for me to be accountable for my eating, which has helped keep me on track. I've yet been unable to find any food I consumed in their database, which is awesome! (Yes, even fast foods, restaurant foods, and pre-packaged stuff.) And the progress charts are cool too.... BTW, did I mention it was FREE?

We Wauna Be in Waunakee!

It's official!!!

Lee and I closed on our new lot in Waunakee this morning! We are proud owners of a piece of mud in suburpia. :) We also are the proud owners of a big piece of debt, disguised to consumers under the name of a "construction loan".

Construction began today too!!! That's right, contractors began digging in our piece of mud. And then the rain came. And it's supposed to keep raining for a few days. Anyone want to make mudpies?

Hospital Blues

I've decided that I hate hospitals. Before you chastise me, let me explain...

Every time I come to a hospital, it turns out to be a rainy, gray day. I think I hate hospitals because all you can do is wait.... and wait.... and wait.... and wait. Sickness, death, pain, worry, and waiting surround me. With the exception of the birth of my children, I've had ZERO happy times at a hospital. (And those kids came with a good share of pain too! :)

I've been at the hospital since 10am today. It's now 5:30pm, and I'm still waiting for my mom to get out of recovery. She's here for a surgery that began at Noon. Today's surgeon talked to me three hours ago, and told me my mom would be in recovery for "about an hour". Tick tock tick tock. FINALLY I ask the nursing station... "excuse me, but could you please give me a status on my mom?" And you know what?? They said she's still in recovery because they are waiting for a room to be cleaned up for her. "So, there were no problems that kept her in recovery longer than expected?" I breathe with relief... "No, just waiting for a clean room... I guess we should have told you." NO, REALLY???? I've been waiting for an extra two hours, thinking my mom may not be breathing or some such thing!

Anyway, I am very thankful for the medical care my family has received. Usually the nurses and doctors are wonderful and caring. I'll chalk today up to a busy nursing shift and obliviousness.

Ten best things about an Empty Nest

1) Less laundry on a daily basis. (Face it -- kids will still come home from college with weeks of laundry. But, YOU don't have to do it!! :)

2) Lower grocery bills.... unless you are kind and provide your child with "care packages". :)

3) No more rushing home to cook dinner, attend a ball game, or taxi the kids to one of their activities. Yes, you CAN work late... or you can just take the long way home. Either way, it means less stress and demands on your time.

4) Your children will likely appreciate you more than ever before.

5) Less dishes.... Less home clutter.... No more shoes and backpacks in the doorway.... beds that are made every morning....

6) No more cooking. Face it, cooking is a CHORE - not an art or hobby. Now you can just make a sandwich or bowl of soup at night without feeling guilty.

7) Naked Saturdays. We told our children to call before they come visit, because every Saturday would be "Naked Saturday". Our kids call out of fear... I'll let you wonder whether or not my husband and I actually walk around naked every weekend. :)

8) More time with your spouse. (See "naked Saturday" above and imagine what every day can be like...)

9) You can leave your dishes in the sink without feeling guilty. How many times did I nag my kids to pick up after themselves?? Now, I can slack off without anyone pointing their finger at me!

10) Freedom to rediscover yourself. Find your interests, hobbies, and friends again.

Shin Splints Suck

Ok, so I'm really trying to revamp my life. I'm on a quest to live a healthier lifestyle. I'm trying valiantly to eat more veggies and fruit, less bad stuff, and more appropriate portion sizes. And, yes, I'm TRYING to exercise regularly. I'm told if you do anything for 28 days, it can become a habit. Well, I've done 6 weeks of exercise, than six months of none, 7 days of exercise, then followed it up by another 7 without, another 2 of exercise, and two off... you get the trend.

My goal is to work out 5 days a week - EVERY week. And I've decided that shin splints SUCK. I don't know why my shins hurt more than any other part of my body, but they do. I've decided to buy a pair of new shoes in hopes that it helps. Why does it take me 20 minutes of exercise to catch my stride? Why do my shins hurt from minute #3??? Shin splints suck!!! I actually had to stop, rub my shins, stretch them out, before I could continue. Man, I hope new shoes help...

My first blog attempt

I'm starting this blog on a whim. I've never been good at keeping a diary.... don't know how much I'll actually post because of it. However, I do run into things in my day to day life that puzzle me, make me happy, frustrate me, and make me feel there is a sense of purpose in all that is life. So, I'm joining the blogging revolution!

I'm a little bit afraid to begin blogging. I used to be techno saavy. Believe it or not, I once formed an Internet company and gave large seminars to the general public. My goal was, of course, to sell Internet services. But, sooooo many people didn't know what the Internet was, or why it could be useful, or how to connect, that I found it very rewarding. Something happened over the past ten years. I changed jobs, got remarried, and focused on job & family. I forgot (or prioritized other things) to keep up with technology. Suddenly, I feel like an incompetent fool when it comes to computers, Wiki, blogging, and fun applications. Well, enough of that I say!! :) I'm on a quest to blog, blog, blog and to catch up on all that I haven't paid attention to over the years!

I'm 42 years old, have a wonderful husband, four extraordinary children, one godsend of a son-in-law, a psuedo son-in law (guy that's been dating my daughter for 3 years) and a temperamental cat. Life is good. My life has a lot of stress -- job stuff, building a new house, children that are coping with nasty illnesses, travelling husband -- but it's a good life!!! No matter what life throws my way, I tell myself that "it can always be worse". God is good. God is great. God has blessed me incredibly.