Driftwood Dwellers

Well...........big news...........woohoo........finally!

Kyle and I officially have our own home!!! We signed the papers after school today!! I guess I could say we are officially in debt...but I'm looking on the positive side because I am soooo excited to get that place painted and our stuff in it.

Meanwhile, I just feel extremely overwhelmed. It didn't seem like any work at all...just a little paint...until now. Now it is ours. Now the work has to be done. I'm basically freaking out. Our basement is still a wreck. Nothing really packed up. And...we leave tomorrow AM for Oklahoma. Which I am super pumped about. It will be good for our souls to see family. Plus, Valinda (Kyle's mom) will be coming back with us and staying for the week AND my parents are coming up for several days! YAY!

The past week has been hectic. I had a workshop on Wednesday & Thursday after school. (I signed up for the $100 stipend...yes!) Then I had to get ready for my first sub ever because I had a conference on Friday and Saturday. It went from 8-8:30 Friday and 8-4 Saturday!! It was long...draining...bad chairs....bad food...and we had to spend the night. Despite my HORRIBLE attitude about the whole ordeal, it DRASTICALLY changed my view about social justice/racism. It was an eye opener to say the least. I was so excited to post about it....but time ran away....I will try sometime after the house settles.

So for now...woohoo we have a house. Due to Thanksgiving, house moving, and everything in between....who knows when my next post will be! What's new?!?!

Anger

So Doug (for the Texans..one of the leadership guys from LifePoint) angrily busted into the Robbins' house at the end of small group tonight and stole a piece of candy. SO...I called him on it and he angrily told me I needed to blog. So I am staying up a little late tonight to blog.

Bob has been doing a series over the Seven Deadly Sins at LifePoint. I have to be honest, this wasn't a series that really perked my interest too much to begin with. BUT, I think they have been some of the most life changing, good slaps in the face I have ever sat through. I thought this week anger would be a light, easy week for me. NOPE.
I would love to eventually blog some serious stuff about what I’ve learned through the series…but my head is mush right now so I’ll go with the light-hearted version of how I have experienced anger today.

Example 1: First fight in classroom. I actually sort of stopped it before it really got fun. It was brewing all morning. I warned everyone. Stupid JH girl stuff….and the sad thing is that they are normally best buds. Anyhoo…luckily their two friends grabbed them and kept them apart so I could get help. Angry people do crazy things.

Example 2: My sister has the audacity to call me and tell me that she is going to the Garth Brooks concert tomorrow. Unbelievable. Of course if you read her blog you will see some lame excuse about how I got to see him in JH and touch him…but seriously. I was in JH…I could appreciate it so much more now. Then I tell her that is what I want for my birthday (because she has been all on my back about that)…and she offers me some ridiculous theater ticket where I can watch him on a big screen. This is a trigger for me. I’m choosing to handle my anger appropriately. And envy has already been a sermon. So I’m SO happy for her.

Kyle whispered “too long” into my ear. Sorry Charlie. Maybe blogging more often would help this problem.

NEW HOUSE

Well, all the numbers worked out and we ended up being able to make an acceptable offer on House #1. SO….they have accepted it verbally and we are just waiting for all the paperwork to be faxed back and forth and the house is ours! Right now the closing date is on or before 11/29, but we are hoping to be in by Thanksgiving. I am super excited!!! Today we did the inspection and it went really well. He told us it was near perfect and the only thing he could remember that would make the front page of needs attention now was some GFCI or something like that…I know that is not right…but it was some plug-in thingy. All I heard was it was a $5, 20 minute fix. Also, all the breaker thing was wired perfectly…which he said happens about 1 in 100 times. We were really impressed with the inspector and his news!

Meanwhile, I have been debating over the important stuff. Like what colors I want to paint. I want the colors to flow nicely through the house. I would prefer a neutral beige color with some deep red, pumpkin orange, celery or sage green…etc. Kind of fall like colors. BUT, I am coming to terms with the fact that we cannot fix everything in the house at once. It will be a work in progress. And the hideous blue swirl bathroom countertops and tiling and the blue carpet aren’t top priorities. Therefore, I have decided to give that color scheme up and go with one that incorporates the blues and hopefully makes them work. Then, once we get the stuff fixed…we repaint if necessary. J (don’t tell Kyle that part yet) Anyway, I found a color scheme I think I may go by for now. It has a beige, deep red, a light blue, a darker blue, and then just a white. I am thinking the beige will be throughout most of the house. The red somewhere in the kitchen. And the lighter blue in the living room (maybe). I do like the dark brown, light brown, and light blue together. But I am hoping to get a rug that will allow me to add other accented colors. I know light blue is a “cool” color, but I am hoping this shade will still feel welcoming. All you good decorating people out there, let me know your opinions!!

Here is a picture that includes the three colors I would probably use from the scheme. The table and chair in front of the blue wall is very similar to the colors of our furniture.

That’s all for now! I will try my best to keep everyone updated...your job is to start making plans to visit!!

I never know what to put here...

So here is a quick update! Everything has been crazy lately...I guess that is always the excuse! But seriously, I have never had time fly by like it has since this past August. Everything has been a BLUR!

We made an offer on the older house. (house #1) So far things aren't going as we would have hoped. They made a counter offer but it was pretty far off. SOOO...basically we are going to give them our best and if they don't take it...see ya. A relocation company has the casa now so it sort of mixes things up! I'm a little disappointed, but there are a few other houses out there very similar we may take a look at before pursuing House #2. Right now I am working on patience and trusting that God has the perfect place out there. Add that with the fact that Bob is doing a series over the 7 deadly sins and the past two weeks have been greed and envy...thanks a lot. haha It is crazy how God works out even the smallest details in our lives!

Other events recently...we went to a JH conference this weekend. It was great to hang out with the youth and I think they had a blast! It is so cool to see their hearts take a positive step towards God! I have to admit it was a stretch for me to spend an extra day with middle school children...they are HIGH energy, drama, and excitement ALL the time. But it was worth it in the end! Every Wednesday I am amazed by their knowledge and wisdom. They are awesome kids!

FYI...if you need a good example of what JH girls are like...look on the right in my links and click on "The Pursuit - Paul Irby"...then watch the video...enough said.

House Buying

So I think Kyle and I have narrowed down our house buying process to two. They are TOTALLY different and each has their own perks...so it is wayyyyyy tough to decide. Let us know what you guys think!! Ultimately it will be the one we have the biggest peace about and feel like we could financially do. They are VERY similar in prices....but not finished squared footage....but each needs different work....immediate vs. long-term. Regardless, we appreciate any advice you experienced people may have. There are a couple of pic below. To see more go to:
kyleandemily.shutterfly.com (password is: kpark)

Bob took great pics of House #2. Mine...not so great of House #1.

House #1 - A little older than the other one (but built in 1994) It has 2200 sq. ft. plus an unfinished basement that is about 600 sq. ft. It is a tri-level house (or quad if you count the basement). Huge backyard. 2 dog kennels. (which we will have 2 dogs soon) Above ground pool. Huge deck. Bigger bedrooms. Additional bed & bath. TONS of storage & closets. Extra family room. BUT, needs more immediate work. (you will see the horrible color schemes) Not stuff that would HAVE to be done...except paint for sure. Ideally would like to change some floors & countertops (bath) & lighting. Comes with older fridge and stove.

House #2 - Newer and more updated. Guy bought as repo a year ago & renovated A LOT before getting transferred. I loveeee the vaulted ceilings & flooring & everything he has done. It is 1500 sq. ft. plus an unfinished basement that is probably between 1200-1500 sq. ft. as well. (Similar to the basement we are living in) You can tell in the pics on shutterfly that he started to finish it. Kitchen has a nice eat-in area. Comes with brand new fridge, washer, dryer, and stove. Nicer bathrooms. Walk-in closet for master bedroom. Bedroom not too big. Not as much immediate work...touch up painting. Except the blue kitchen cabinets...gotta go. Eventually will need to build fence & finish basement.

Ok..there are the basics. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!!!!

P.S. Both neighborhoods are great.

(looking at the other pics might be necessary)

Celebration & Ferry Rides

This weekend was a nice, long, much-needed weekend for me. We were off from school today for Columbus Day...and the extra day was A-MAZING to have. Plus...someone had the bright idea that our building could put in new units and the air could be turned off because my goodness...it's the first week of October so it should be plenty cool without air. And heaven forbid we adjust that date since we are having 90 degree days. So Thursday and Friday at school...not fun. It's sad when you have to take your kids outside to 90 degree days just to stay cool. Hopefully this week will be cooler...because it isn't coming back on.

Saturday Kyle and I spent all day watching soccer. First we went and watched Dawson & Griffin play. (the little blonde headed boys I have posted pics of) It was hilarious!!! They are adorable. Afterwards, we went and watched their 2 sisters plus half of our youth girls play their soccer game. It was sooooo hot. I got sunburned. In October. Like it hurts sunburned. Ridiculous. We have pics from the games plus plenty of youth pics. I will try to remember to post some when I get them off the church camera.

Then...Saturday evening was our BIG EVENT!! LifePoint celebrated it's one year anniversary with the first annual Chili-cookoff plus family movie night. The weather wasn't ideal for chili...and I have 24 mosquito bites (unofficially) but it was still a blast!! Everyone seemed to have a great time and the chili was still a hit. Kyle was a judge...and it was hilarious watching him eat the #12 chili...which I heard had peppers in it that will burn your skin off if you touch them. Most of you don't know anyone here...but the winner was Ron Otten...or Otton...not sure. (father of the sextuplets + 2) Again, got pics...will post soon.

To top everything off...Sunday our small group went on a fall outing to a little town (smaller than Weinert) called Brussels. It has this old old old hotel that is now a restaraunt that serves stuff family style. It was a beautiful drive...and you have to ride a ferry to get there...and the food was good...although it didn't hold a candle to Babe's or The Home Place. It was awesome getting to drive along the river. We drove along the town where I teach, Alton, and I had never seen that part! It was gorgeous!! I REALLY bad want to go back in a couple of weeks when hopefully the leaves are changing a little more. I've heard that due to the dry weather they may just all fall off. I will be majorly disappointed if such a thing occurs...but I guess I will survive. PLUS, I went on my very first ferry ride. (pics below) Such a momentous occasion.

Here's our small group: (-Brandon...who took the pic & Bob...who is hidden behind Kyle)

The Mississippi River:

Crazy Church!!

woohoo!!! I am finally updating!!! We are doing good....just staying extremely busy!! Anyone with time efficient tips on school teaching should definitely leave me detailed messages!!! :)

Well...the church had an exciting weekend last weekend. We kicked off...literally...our debut in Kickball. It was sad....very sad. Let's just say the suggestion was made to change our name from LifePoint to OnePoint. They should have awarded points for the # of fans....we would've kicked everyones butt. Basically...we just had more people there to witness the pain. A team pic is posted below...as well as our fan pics. haha They were great!!

We are in a series at church called, "Everything you need to know about life can be found in your fishbowl" (or something like that) Bob has been talking about the different fish we find in our bowl. This week one of the them was the shark....so Bob decided it would be fun to sing the baby shark song during his message. Most of the things we do at church have a purpose...but this didn't. We just did it for fun. And I got pressured into it. Usually I am strong and don't give in. But I cratered. Just another reason why I have to cut out school work and spend more time with God. I can't be giving into pressure like this. SOOO....as you can see below...we really did it...and I really got on stage to help out. BUT....the best part was that we had an accordian player!!!! It was awesome!!

Other than that....nothing much has been going on. Kyle and I are beginning to look at houses!! Hopefully that will lead to something good. I'll try to update soon!!