Rewind, Fast Forward, How do I Pause?

After several years of child abuse, our VCR broke. My kids are pretty hard on things, which is rather irritating, so I decided not to buy another one for a while and let the kids feel the effects of their mistreatment of the a/v equipment. That lasted about a week. I hadn't realized how often I use movies as a crowd control mechanism. So we bought another. None of the buttons were in the right places. We fast forwarded when we meant to rewind and rewound when we meant to pause. I was muttering about it when it hit me that my life has been just like that ever since we moved to Idaho. No wonder I'm so tired. Even though I've tried to plan things so they happen one at a time, they just spin forward or reel backwards willy nilly and I have absolutely no control over it. I guess I should be used to it by now, because somehow, everything always ends up happening at the same time. I'm still looking for the pause button.

Anyhow, since I last posted, Trevor finished his Eagle Project, the kids started school, I edited a dissertation and passed my CNA exams. I started my Pathophysiology and Genetics classes and started working two days a week in BirthPlace at Pullman hospital (I love working there and now realize that I really want to be a nurse. I was able to help prep a patient and watch a c-section on my second day - it was so cool). My parents came for a visit and they were an amazing help while we did our landscaping. I can't wait for our little orchard to bear fruit. We have three cherry trees, two pears, two plums, an apple and a peach. We'll plant another apple and peach tree next spring along with a windbreak, two more maple trees, a bunch of firs and spruce.

Trevor is loving his new driving freedom and is keeping his grades up so he keeps those privleges. He is also busy trying to raise funds for his band trip to Disney Land over spring break, so if anyone needs to renew any magazines, please let us know in the next few days. The fundraiser ends next Thursday. Lindsey is doing well in school and has suddenly discovered that when she brushes her hair and looks put together, the boys notice her. Jeff and I are not at all sure that this is a good thing because she is very pretty and a pro at manipulating boys (she's had lots of practice with her brothers). Jeff asked me if I wanted to home school her again. I just smiled and assured him that no, I'd rather not, and reminded him that keeping her home would not stop her from growing up. He's missing his sweet little princess who has been replaced by an imperious diva. I think we're in for a few painful years. The younger boys are all doing fine. Jared wants to go to school every day and gets really upset when he is left behind. Nathan loves kindergarten and doesn't like being picked up at lunch time either, unless I take him to the park or McDonald's. The kid has great bargaining skills. Tyler and Evan are enjoying scouts and Tyler still loves to draw. He also had a great time disassembling the broken VCR. He found a toy car, a penny, a dried up string cheese, lots of Legos, and a pencil inside. Hmmm...maybe that's why it broke? Sorry, no pics this time. I don't have time to download them to my laptop. I'll try to do so before my next post.

At Last!

YAY! We've finally moved in. The last month has been so insanely busy that I probably would've had a nervous breakdown if my mom hadn't come to help out for a couple weeks. But saint that she is, she booked a flight and came to my aid. Of course, her house sold the week after she booked the flight and the ticket was non-refundable, so my relief was layered with a lot of guilt. But I think they'll get packed in time for their August 30th closing date.

My 36-hour CNA clinicals were scheduled the same week that we were trying to finish the house, schedule bank and county inspections, and pack. Needless to say, we dropped into bed dead tired every night and I'm sure I wasn't the best company. But my mom was a saving grace, as were the friends who watched Jared and Nathan so we could actually get something done on the days I wasn't working 12 hour shifts for free (a serious flaw in clinical education as far as I'm concerned, but then again, most of my classmates are eighteen and don't have anyone to worry about except themselves). I didn't make much progress on the packing front until August and even then, it was mostly throwing things in laundry baskets and re-using them in nonstop runs back and forth. The result of all of this stress is the stranger in the mirror whose drawn, shell-shocked expression would be alarming if I had the time to care. I suspect that with more sleep, she'll go away.

Jeff started classes today and the two online classes I'm taking start next week. The kids don't start until September 2nd (happy birthday to Rachel). In between now and then, I'm hoping to finish unpacking and help Trevor get his Eagle project done. We'll see how it goes.

All the work has paid off though. The house is gorgeous. The appraised value is about $100K more than our cost, so I suppose sweat equity isn't as mythical as I was beginning to suspect. However, I don't want to find out what the difference is between appraised value and market value. If I have to move again anytime in the next decade, I will be a seriously unhappy camper. Anyhow, enjoy the pics. Dreaming about a new house and planning to build one is much more fun and infinitely less work than actually building it. But like all difficult experiences, once the pain has passed, the memory fades and the intensity of the experience softens. So now, I'm going to enjoy it. The coolest part is that everything looks better in this house. Even my old junky furniture looks somewhat respectable. YAY.

Now that we have a nice place to live, come visit anytime! Check out the view from the front porch.

The Home Stretch

I never liked running much - the pounding in my poor knee joints and that stitch in my ribs just didn't do much for me. But the part I hated most was that I always had to run in circles around a track. I mean seriously, what was the point? If I have to go through a lot of pain, I'd at least like to arrive at a destination or see some concrete results.

Since my last post, I've been running against the calendar to get this house done. All day, every day, I run from one thing to the next towards that end goal, and then fall into bed completely exhausted. The upside is that I've been running towards something and I have concrete results to show for it; and I mean that quite literally.

We now have a concrete pad for our garage, back patio, and front porch. Yay. We also have the stone fireplace done, all the doors in (complete with doorknobs), the kitchen island finished, all the plumbing and electrical trimmed out, a balcony railing which makes the upstairs hall SO much safer for the kids and all the baseboards installed. Jeff will start painting the exterior tomorrow while the carpet installer puts carpet in the one room that still needs flooring. After that, I have to put the last coat of polyurethane on the hardwood stairs and then we have to install the railing. Then we clean everything while the garage doors are being installed on Wednesday and put one more coat of polyurethane on the hardwood floors on Thursday. Once the exterior trim is painted, steps are built from the garage to the house, and shelving is installed in the front and master closets, we're done. Hallelujah.

We're hoping to get everything done this week so the appraiser can come a week from Monday and we can close on Friday. Here's hoping it works out that way. We just have to make it through this home stretch.

We took a few minutes to memorialize our family on the edge of the front porch. Everyone pressed their hands into the wet cement by age. Jared gave me the weirdest look, like, 'you WANT me to get messy?' Then he freaked out as we pushed his hands into the cement. I guess we should've gone oldest to youngest so he'd know what to expect before his turn came.

Then yesterday, I found another nail in the gravel driveway. Or rather, the tire did. After working ten hours on the house, I got a flat. Frustratingly enough, the jack was too short to actually lift the tire off the ground since it kept sinking into the gravel road. Of course, I forgot my cell phone too, so I had to walk back to the house to get Jeff and the truck. I think I passed that patience test, though. I didn't yell, scream, cry, curse, or kick the car. I only sighed. But as I walked back to the house, I noticed the wheat waving in the breeze, the swallows chirruping as they swooped above the field, and the clear, bright blue sky and was reminded how lucky I was to be able to live here. It is absolutely beautiful. Maybe the flat was worth it after all.

Seeing the Light

Light at the end of the tunnel, light upon a hill, light in the darkness, light up my life - so many metaphors ran through my head as I stood in the chilly drizzle and watched the crew put in the power line to my house. A wide swath of smooth mud showed where the excavator tracks slid down the hill and nearly dumped the whole machine into the trench. It was tense. But as the crew drove away and I squelched my mud-caked boots into the garage, I could hardly wait to 'light it up.' Or not. I flipped the switch and...nothing. Did you know that there's a breaker before the breaker box? I didn't. But now I do. I also learned that even really good electricians sometimes mess up. So we have power everywhere except the upstairs because there's a little problem the electricians have to fix this week. After using a generator for power all winter long, it's amazing what a luxury it is to simply plug into an outlet. The same goes for water. After months of lugging water every day, we now have an operating well pump. And even though the plumber won't do the trim-out until June 8th, we can use the faucet in the yard to pull it, however reluctantly, out of the bedrock. I'm looking forward to having an operating toilet. Port-a-potty's stink.

The tile is completely done too - floors, tub surround, shower surround and master bathroom countertop. Hallelujah. If I don't cut another tile for a decade, it will be too soon. The master bathroom does look amazing, though.

We've set the cabinets and put on the concrete substrate for the stone face of the chimney. Jeff installed the shower doors and storm doors while I cleaned. Home construction offers a whole new definition of mess. We've hauled all the chimney stone to the front porch and most of the hardwood flooring is stacked and awaiting installation which begins tomorrow. Oh yeah, the pasture is now seeded in hay too. I'm going to bed. It's 2 a.m.

Holding Back the Spring

Okay, you know how I complained all winter about the snow and yearned for a bit of spring? Well all that snow has given me a lot a spring right now - about a ten gallon-a-minute spring to be exact. Yep, we hit a freshwater spring on Saturday when Jeff was excavating the utility trench. The real kicker is that the gusher wasn't thirty feet from the spot where we tried to drill a well last fall and never hit water. I'm smiling....still smiling...if I stop smiling, I might cry. We need power at the house and the electric company won't put in the line if there is any standing water so we have a real problem. The trench is a three foot deep pond right now. Jeff always wanted a pond, I just never thought he'd get one. Surprise!

Anyhow, I took a picture, but can't find my camera's transfer cable. Hmmm...maybe I'll organize my office. That is, if I can find the time. I have to get the tile laid in the kitchen and bathrooms this week so I can take delivery of the cabinets. I also have to finish packing the hardwood flooring into the house so the boards will dry out in time to install them. I'm just hoping that I'll still have skin on my fingertips by next weekend.

Birthday Boy and SuperBunny

I'm going to stop apologizing for not keeping up with everything and just realize that it's not going to happen in the near future. Oh well. I'm trying. The last month has been crazy - as always. My mom and a family friend, Dave, flew in on the same day at the end of March. Dave left a few days later, but my mom stayed to help me tile our bathrooms (they look beautiful) and then most of us got sick. Stomach flu, how fun. So Jeff spent his birthday hugging a trashcan and Jared puked nonstop and couldn't enjoy his birthday cake. They recovered, but then it was my turn, and let me tell you, I felt every aching joint in my body. I hope that wasn't a glimpse of what old age feels like, 'cause it wasn't much fun. Seriously, even though I know I'm not getting any younger, I HOPE that I'm spry until the very end. I want to be a globetrekking grandma. Yes, I still dream of traveling, but I need to get the house done first.

Jeff finished painting the interior of the house yesterday. It looks wonderful. So now on to flooring and setting the stone front of the fireplace. We're getting there, albeit a little slowly. Illnesses and bad weather haven't helped, but we're moving past both of those now.

This week Jeff's parents arrive for a visit and for Evan's baptism, I'll hand over the keys of our van to the couple who is buying it, and I'm hoping to finish up a grant that Jeff is trying to submit to NIH (I'm crossing my fingers on that one). The NIH grant process is a bureaucratic mess hidden in an unnavigable maze of forms and 100+ page procedure manuals. If I'm lucky, I'll get it all done and start on the floor tile, but we'll see.

Today, however, was fun. Nathan turned five and between Easter candy and birthday cake, Jared was flying high. Literally. He decided to be SuperBunny, who apparently, flies and plays the harmonica. Unfortunately, the harmonica happened to be one of Nathan's birthday gifts. No one got hurt (thank goodness) and when we finally convinced Jared to give back the harmonica and sit still, we enjoyed watching Tales of Desperaux as a family.

Working Spring Break

The house is taped and Trevor, Jeff and I spent the first day of Spring Break masking the windows and taping the electrical boxes. Trevor wasn't too happy. He got this bored 'yeah, figures' look when I asked him to work at the house, and he used the word 'whatever' a lot, but he worked mostly without complaint.

The big upside is that we've gotten this far despite the six inches of snow that fell last week. But it's snowing again as I type this, so I can only hope that I can make it up the driveway tomorrow. I was driving the truck, but unfortunately, the transmission died. So now we get to tow the truck to a transmission shop and fork over as much as the truck is worth just so we can keep driving it. Ugh.

Jeff primed the lid with the vapor barrier paint that we have to use for our rafter-type roof and then started to paint the walls. The paint sprayer jammed. He cleaned it and it jammed again. So, now we're a bit behind, but oh well, there isn't much we can do about it. Someone from the place we rented it from is coming to take a look at it tomorrow, so hopefully, we'll get the primer applied without too much delay. If not, I might be the one painting because Jeff is taking the Boy Scouts on a campout later this week. I'm just hoping for a week of dry weather sometime soon. It has rained or snowed nearly every day since December. I am SO ready for spring. The beautiful weather on my birthday was a big tease. It's been miserably cold and wet ever since. Having had a taste of what's to come, waiting is ever so much harder now.

Happy Birthday to Me - and Will

I really wasn't looking forward to this birthday. Maybe its because Trevor is driving now and I'm not really sure how the last decade flew by, maybe it's just a byproduct of stress, or maybe it's all those wrinkles that just appeared out of nowhere, but thirty-seven suddenly seemed very old. Evan informed me that we didn't have enough candles for my cake so I needed to buy a couple more boxes and with the miserably wet, cold weather, I wanted to curl up in bed and hide until Thursday.

But then I woke up to a glorious sunshiny day complete with breakfast in bed and decided that it was going to be a good day after all. I mean, how often does a mom get Belgian waffles with strawberries and whipped cream served to her without getting out of bed, and on a Wednesday too? Not very. Yep, Jeff's a keeper. He also gave me the most amazing printer. I love it. It's so much easier to use than my recently broken-beyond-repair printer that's been slowing dying for a year. It also has some cool features like photo printing right from the memory card and wireless printing from my laptop - no more plugs to jockey. Yay!

Then I spent the rest of the day catching up with friends, reading My Fair Godmother (a really cute book), eating my favorite foods, and ordering cabinets for my house.

And then I got the call telling me that I had a new nephew. So Will and I share a birthday now - Happy Birthday to us!

So thanks everybody. Your friendship and love made my day, and week, and month. Well, my whole life actually. It would be a lonely life indeed without such wonderful people to share it with.

Excuses, excuses...

Will I ever catch up with everything so I can stop making excuses when I let something slip? I hope so. So I won't say how busy it's been or how I've chosen sleep over blogging. I won't mention that my family has been extra needy lately or that simplifying has meant cutting out a lot of things I usually take in stride. I won't make excuses for being lame and not keeping in touch. I'll just apologize. Sorry.


But here's what I have been doing:
1. The insulation is done.
2. The siding is done.
3. I personally fixed the leaky back doors.
4. I ordered and scheduled delivery of the drywall and hired contractors to put it up because Jeff doesn't have time.
5. I filed our federal and state taxes (so I can pay the drywall contractors).
6. I selected and ordered cabinets.
7. I wrote and mailed a writing grant for myself.
8. I caught up on laundry, but of course, I'm un-caught up again.
9. I shoveled an entire truck load of gravel by myself to keep our driveway passable until we get around to fixing it properly (I am so sore).
10. I registered for the Praxis.
11. I detailed our van to try and sell it.
12. I paid bills.
13. I packed and helped Jeff, Tyler, and Evan get on the road to attend Grandma Seegmiller's funeral.
14. I helped Trevor get ready for his band trip to Canada.
15. I helped Lindsey complete her make up homework and her GPA has nearly doubled.
16. I survived being driven home by Trevor who shouldn't drive the truck again until he gets a lot more experience; it was terrifying.
17. I let Lindsey help me highlight my hair. It's now orange. I laughed, I cried, and I'm dying it brown later today.
18. I fed everybody, said prayers with them, and gave them lots of hugs and kisses.
19. I finally remembered to re-charge my camera batteries.
20. I noticed the earthy smell in the air and felt a surge of hope. Spring is almost here.

Warm fuzzies

Here's one of the stacks of insulation delivered to our house yesterday. As the installers sealed the windows and filled the cracks, I just smiled. I think I drove the crew crazy pointing out places they missed with the expanding foam, but hey, it's my house and my dime, so it had better be done right. Right? After a winter of freezing in this old uninsulated farm house, I am so ready to move into one that will be warm. I felt warm and fuzzy today just seeing those lovely R-38 batts go into the ceiling.

The drywall will be delivered on Thursday and the siding contractor tells me he will be done on Friday, so we're moving along. The biggest problem is that we still don't have power to the house because the power company can't put it in until all the snow is melted and the mud has dried out. So if everyone could pray for an unusually warm dry spell early in March, I'd appreciate it. I still haven't figured out how to control the weather;) But maybe the Lord will bless us with a cooperative forecast.


I learned something new about garages last week. Standard eight foot garage door openings don't work for large pick up trucks (like Jeff's) or large SUV's like the Sequoia we're hoping to trade our van in for.

Surprise!

I had someone come out and give me bid to install our garage doors and after seeing me bounce up the gravel drive in Jeff's truck, he told me it wouldn't fit in the garage. So I measured, and yep, sure enough, Jeff's truck measured 7'11" from mirror to mirror and the garage door opening was 8'. So Saturday and Monday Jeff and I had the dubious pleasure of removing the header, cutting the foundation and enlarging the garage door openings. It was an absolute pain, but I figure in the long run, it will be worth it. Otherwise, we (okay, probably me) would've smashed a lot of side mirrors. But at least we found out before the siding was finished. It would've been worse to fix later.

Hoofing the Roof

Here's a shot Lindsey took of me standing on the roof while I spoke with our roofing contractor. As you can see, I wasn't wearing the most practical footwear. I was wearing a skirt too so it was really interesting climbing out of the window and back in again. But despite further snow delays, the roof is completely done. YAY!

Below the finished roof, you can see the scaffolding that was used to install the siding. The installer has moved to the south side of the house now and I hope the weather will cooperate so it can be completed soon. The insulators will come sometime between the 16th and 20th. After the insulation is inspected, we'll start the sheetrock. And when I say we, I mean that quite literally. We will hire some additional help for the vaulted ceilings, but for the most part, Jeff and Trevor will be hanging it and Jeff and I will be taping. Sounds fun huh?

Because there is so little work in the construction sector, I get calls all the time from people wondering if I'm hiring. Unfortunately, labor costs have not dropped and may have actually risen since people are trying to make ends meet. I understand that problem. Really I do. But why anyone thinks we're any different is beyond me. It's only in the government and business sectors where people can write themselves huge raises, and even then, usually only the upper echelons. Well, I'd like a raise. I think it's high time that the government recognized the contribution that stay-at-home mothers give to society and offer some compensation. I mean, moms who work outside their homes get to deduct day care expenses. Why not offer a set allowance, say $6,000, for every child four and younger and then families can choose whether to offset their household expenses or pay that money to a day care provider? Ah yes, that's right, the government is too busy handing out money to greedy bank executives who don't know how they'll manage without their million dollar bonus this year.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox.

Yesterday we took the kids ice fishing at a local reservoir. The Idaho Dept of Fish and Game hosted an ice fishing tournament. We left with three fish, two ice fishing rods the kids won at raffle prizes and a bluebird box. It was fun, but I have to admit I was REALLY nervous walking out on that ice. I could see huge cracks running in the ice and the top was slushy. Then as I watched Jeff auger through a solid foot of ice, I realized that the cracks must have happened months ago and then frozen in place. The ice didn't even groan yesterday, despite a hundred kids thundering across it's surface as they ran around enjoying the sunshine, not to mention the perforations every fifteen feet or so from hopeful anglers. However, I have new appreciation for the courage it must have taken those pioneers to step onto the ice and walk across the Mississipi river without a sure knowledge of how thick the ice in that middle section might or might not be.

Trevor didn't join us yesterday because of his wrestling tournament. He injured his shoulder and needs at least a week to heal. He can't be out of commission too long because he has sheetrock to hang. However, Jeff says its just a Grade II strain so it should only take a week to heal.

Happy Birthday Tyler!

Tyler invented a new favorite cake. His instructions were, "Mom, I want a cake that tastes like a maple bar." So that's what I made. Here is the pic of his artery-clogging, incredibly rich, maple cake with chocolate trimmings. I think I gained three pounds just making it. It was a low-key birthday. He wanted a party, but mid-week birthdays are tough and we're already booked this weekend, so we'll have an unbirthday party for him some time in February.

I am finally feeling better. Whatever virus caught me, did not want to let go. Trevor has it now, and Evan is just getting over it. Now that the arctic air has blown eastward to freeze my friends in the midwest (sorry about that), I'm hoping some sun and warmer temps will aid our recovery. I know the balmy 40 degree weather predicted for the rest of this week will lift my spirits in a way that -2 just didn't. Here's hoping the gopher predicts an early spring. Sixty and seventy degree weather sounds much more appealing.

Our siding contractor recovered from pneumonia and has started on the house. Here's a pic I snapped this morning of the walk-out basement area. He already finished the front dormer windows, but I forgot to take a picture of them. So I'll do that tomorrow when I drop off a door.

The University is still in crisis mode, but for now, it appears that Jeff still has a job. Whew! That is a huge relief. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers.

One step at a time

These are the doors we installed yesterday. Aren't they pretty? It was kind of tricky, because open the door and there's eleven feet of air. Watch that first step! Trevor climbed a ladder and helped from the outside while Jeff and I maneuvered the doors through the rough openings and set them in position.

A lot has happened on the house lately. The HVAC installers, electricians, and roofer are almost done and all should be complete this week. My siding contractor has pneumonia, though, so I haven't any idea when he will be well enough to start working again. If it takes too long, I'll have to find someone else so he doesn't hold up the whole project.

It will just be so wonderful to live in a house that is WARM. We've been freezing in the drafty old barn. It helps that the weather has been milder lately.


On the home front, things have been interesting - as always. Trevor will soon have his driving permit, so maybe I should take out extra life insurance. Lindsey is still struggling with so many different teachers with different expectations, but she's learning to handle it better. The younger boys are all doing well, but I can't wait for Spring when I can send them outside to play. Their raw energy is sometimes a bit much in confined spaces.

Prayers on Jeff's behalf would be appreciated though. The University is responding to the current economy by freaking out and slashing programs. Jeff's teaching position spans two departments. The one department is secure, with no cuts in the immediate future, but the athletic training program is on the chopping block. Nothing would happen right away, but if the program is cut, he could only have a job here for another two years while they teach out the recently admitted students. This is the worst-case scenario. The more likely case is that he would keep his job and just be re-assigned to teach different classes in lieu of athletic training. However, uncertainty does not make for restful sleep or easy days, and he is stressed. Of course, being in the middle of building a house doesn't help either. But we have faith that, somehow, it will all work out. We just have to take it one step at a time - but not out the back doors.

Sweet Dreams

Yes, I'm a complete sap. I heard the song Godspeed, Sweet Dreams by the Dixie Chicks and started tearing up. I love it. It captures a little of what I feel when I tuck my boys in every night. I've posted a link below. Don't look at Natalie Maynes' weird punk-rocker get up, just listen to her amazing voice singing this prayer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWaqB3Hy908

Anyhow, the snow is melting and we're supposed to have sunny skies this week. YAY! That means our roof might get finished. The electricians show up tomorrow and my new HVAC installer started last Thursday. So by the end of the week, our house should be roughed in. I'll post pics as soon as I replace my camera's batteries and keep you posted.

Happy New Year

A very belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I've been off the blogosphere and focused on my family over the holidays. It's been very low-key and restful - exactly what we needed. Of course, that's partly because we've been snowed in, but we're pretending that we meant it to be that way.

The kids alternated between playing in the snow and playing with their new toys. Nathan and Jared have enjoyed their Rescue Heroes and Power Rangers. Lindsey, Tyler and Evan have done pretty well sharing the Nintendo DS. I was feeling really bad that we couldn't buy one for each of them, but then I changed my mind. I think this will be an extremely effective way for them to learn to share. They don't want me to take it away, so they are learning to work out their differences instead of running to me every three minutes. As far as I'm concerned, this is the true gift. Wouldn't our world be a better place if everyone learned how to work out their differences with words instead of lawsuits and weapons?

Trevor plays flight simulator whenever he isn't chopping wood, straining his muscles at wrestling practice, or driving with his driver's ed teacher. His driver's ed teacher has some serious guts. He takes them out driving in the most miserable weather. Trevor said one of the girls in his group ran over a garbage can, hit a mail box, and slid off the road into a ditch - all in one day. Trevor hasn't done any of those things yet, so I'm hoping that means he'll be a good driver.

We've learned that living out in the country has its drawbacks. Especially when we don't own a snowplow or tractor. Even if the roads are clear, it's doubtful our driveway will be. And our new house? Forget it. There's a solid two feet of snow covering all nine hundred feet of driveway. We've been hiking up and sledding down when we need to do something up there. After tonight's and tomorrow's storms, we'll hire someone to plow it out. But since it'll be at least another foot of snow, it will have to be plowed out with a caterpillar bulldozer.

So basically, nothing has happened on the house lately. I fired the HVAC installers who kept giving me excuses and then told me it would be $2,000 more than what they bid. The new installers will start this week - after the driveway is cleared.

Jeff's classes start tomorrow and he is a bundle of nerves. Any prayers on his behalf are appreciated. His performance this semester will weigh heavily in his application for tenure. So that's what we've been doing. I didn't send out Christmas cards this year because I just had too much on my plate. I'll try to get my act together for next Christmas. Or maybe I'll send letters out mid-year instead. We hope you all enjoyed a wonderful holiday and hope your New Year is off to a good start.