update on pharmacy school

For those that are interested in the least bit, here's the schoop on me and pharmacy school.

After much deliberation, prayer, hand wringing and whatnot, I have decided to wait to formally apply for the 2010 school year. Yeah, I know. That's like TWO YEARS away. Only it's not. The process must start so early that I need to get things lined up now. I have to take an entrance exam called the PCAT. I'm planning to take that in January 2009. I was going to wing it and try to take it this October but I think 7 weeks to review all the organic chemistry, physics and calculus I took 10 years ago isn't enough time. It's an expensive test and I don't want to jeopardize my chances of doing well. Who would have thought that applying to pharmacy school could be so expensive? It's $200 to apply, then the exam is another $130, plus $50 per school that I send my scores to. I don't want to pay the dumb tax and not be totally prepared. I will apply to 2 schools, the University of MN and Creighton University in Omaha (it's an online program). Either would be a good place for me.

This hasn't been an easy decision to make. I don't WANT to wait. But it will be so much better for our family. Simon will be in 1st grade so we won't have to worry about childcare. I will have that much more work experience. I am seriously considering getting a very part time job at the new Walgreens that is going in right down the street from us. I want the experience in a retail pharmacy. That might be my field of choice (as opposed to a hospital).

Just thought some of you might like to know where things are at.

a new do

My dear friend Karen gave me the best gift a girl could ever ask for: a haircut. I haven't had my hair cut in about 2 years because the last one was, in my mind, a disaster. I have had too many bad haircuts from Costcutters, Fantastic Sams, Great Clips, etc. that I was determined to not go there again. But the cost of a decent cut has been out of my reach. Karen came to my rescue and scheduled me with her stylist. Karen has really really cute hair so I wasn't afraid.



Here's the new do...it's still long but she gave me tons of layers and showed me how to scrunch and make it look a little wavier. And she explained that the style gets better on day 2 or 3, meaning I shouldn't wash my hair every day. I've heard that before but haven't been brave enough to try it. Today I can see what she means. Even after sleeping on my mop of a head of hair, it doesn't look all that bad. So off I go...

bacon on a stick

What a great weekend I had.

My parents got in late Thursday night. It is sooooo good to have them here. It just feels like we're a complete family. Remember they lived with us for 3 months last year so it feels very natural to have them around. Besides that, the kids adore them. They are eating lots of Dots and doing many Dot Dances. My parents took the kids to Como Zoo on Friday while Skip and I worked. They had quite a good time, eating more candy and sugary things than they have ever had in their lives. (What are grandparents for, right?). Both kids got their own huge spiraly lollipop, you know the kind that you always wanted as a kid but mom always said no. Here's the aftermath of that.

Friday night we had Red Robin for dinner. What could be better? My pharmacy technician certification exam was Saturday morning at 8am. I was so ready to get that bad boy over. It went well...I think. I don't find out for 2-3 weeks if I passed. There were a lot of questions that I didn't expect and didn't study for. Oh well. I'm pretty sure I did fine. There was a gal in the testing room that kept whispering, "Oh no...oh Jesus help me...oh God please help me..." Obviously she wasn't as prepared as she should have been. Hehehe.

After that we made our way to the MN state fair. What a blast!!! The weather was absolutely perfect. The crowds were unbelievable. Just a sea of people everywhere you looked (about 170,000 of them). We ate our way from one end to the other. Pork chops, corn dogs, scones, ice cream, a big ol' thick piece of bacon, cream puffs, mini donuts. It was awesome! The kids and I went down the huge slide on a burlap bag. They have microphones hanging over the slide so you can hear people's reactions. I guess I was right under them and so every time I would go down the next bump I would say, "Wh-OA!" Everyone within the Metro area heard me. Ha! Then my dad, me and the kids did the Tilt-a-Whirl. Or Tilt-a-Hurl as Skip calls it. I love spinny rides. Ella and I sat together and had a great time, laughing hysterically. Simon, well, he didn't hurl but it sure didn't go well for him. Near the end he leaned over to my dad and said, "I'm DONE with this stupid thing!" Then he did some pirate ship ride and, well, we were done with rides after that. Ella is such a thrill seeker. She will do anything and everything. Too funny.

The kids hit a major milestone on Friday night. Both of them took off on their bikes with no training wheels! At the same time! They are doing great and I'm happy that I didn't have to teach them. I'm not exactly the most patient teacher. I will definitely NOT be the one to teach them how to drive.

Church was awesome. Skip preached (always a treat). And then we went out for a great lunch. My aunt, uncle and cousin (the Simons) came over for dinner and we had a great time with them. Then Skippy and I got to have a quick date night, thanks to my parents. Just DQ and some perusing at Target.

It's Thursday already and we're gearing up for my in-laws to arrive tonight. They'll be here through Tuesday, which is Ella's first day of 1st grade! Simon will start preschool on Wednesday. Yikes!

going green

If I had a lot of money I would do everything I could to make my house and life green. I'd buy all natural and organic everything.

Since I don't have a lot of money, I'm making changes here and there. Nearly every time I go grocery shopping I buy one or two of those cool reusable grocery bags that are everywhere. I have about 8 now. I even got 5 cents off at Target for using my own bag the other day. Sweet! They are actually WAY better to carry groceries in.

I just tried another thing today. I love those disposable swiffer dusters but they are rather expensive. My aunt, who cleans homes for a living, says that she uses squares of fleece for dusting. I went to JoAnn Fabric today at lunch and purchased a large strip of fleece for less than $1.50. I tried it out today and it works AMAZING. Doesn't snag, doesn't lose the dust. And best of all, it's washable and reusable! Be sure to get the thinner fleece and not the super fluffy kind so you can avoid snags. The square worked really well to wipe off pictures and all those cute little Precious Moments I keep on my piano. (Gag, I really don't have those).

I am now using an all-natural bathroom cleaner. It's pretty cheap and I don't even have to use gloves. I like that. And I use vinegar and water to clean my floors. Makes them super shiny.

What are you doing to be green? Got any really good garden or cleaning tips?

she said what?

We all know that kids repeat the things you say, especially the ones you don't want them to. Well, Ella is using some phrases that she has heard here and elsewhere. Here are a few:

When she hurts herself she now says, "Ouch! That really smarts!" I've always found that phrase awkward. It doesn't make sense. At any rate, I asked Ella where she heard it. "Heidi" was all she said. Hmmm...(no harm done, H. I think it's hilarious!)

Today Skip and the kids were hanging out in the front yard while I was shivering in the air conditioning inside, studying my little brains out. They moved to the shaded back yard because, according to Ella, "It's too freaking hot in the sun." Oops. My bad. I guess I need to choose a milder word.

Skip just said "toad piss" in front of the kids. We'll see if that one gets repeated...

sometimes life is dry and parched

It's been an interesting week. You must see Skip's blog about our bat problem. Yes. I said BAT. Monday the bats will be permanently uninvited from our home. I was grossed out by the box elder bugs this year. Nothing compares to flying rodents. We counted them the other night as they left. 11. I think the Batman overestimated. (He said probably 50!)

Yesterday my friend Kendra invited us to see a live dress rehearsal of a Sesame Street production. It was a free event. Normally these things cost big-time bucks so we jumped at the chance. I would give it 3 stars out of 5. The costuming was outstanding and the set was pretty cool. But the characters voices were turned up so loud they became distorted. It took major concentration for ME to follow the story line. I'm sure my kids didn't get it. Half way through Simon kept saying, "Let's leave! I want to go home!" Ok maybe my kids were a little old for this experience. We've never been able to take the kids to a live show like this so the experience was good. I'm just glad I didn't have to plunk down $200 for it!

We're in a little bit of a funk at home. It's always hard to come back from a week of vacation. Life just picked up where we left off, only we had slowed down while on vacation, and are struggling to meet that harried pace again. The summer is ending and school will be starting in just a few weeks. My "Summer Projects" list on the fridge is only half done. State Fair is around the corner, which for those non-Minnesotans, is about the biggest event of the year. I'm already mapping out my eating plan. :-) My parents will be here next Thursday for a short weekend visit. I can't WAIT. It's been 8 months since we've seen them. And then the next weekend my in-laws will be here. I love having our family stay with us. At the same time, I'm cramming for my upcoming pharmacy technician certification exam. That takes place next Saturday morning. I don't have to get certified for my job but it sure pads the ol' resume. I'm not too worried about passing, I just want to be prepared. Lots of formulas and laws to memorize.

What is really causing the funk around here is more about the anticipation I blogged about several months ago. Skip needs more work. He is currently looking for another part-time job (he's only part time at the church) that pays really well and has very flexible hours and works with our complicated schedule. Seems pretty unrealistic, right? There are several possibilities right now but none have given us that, "YES! This is it!" feeling we got back in January when our lives were consumed with finding new jobs. The clock is ticking and we're coming up to a deadline. I know God knows this deadline. And I know that he has something in the works. And I know that he is aware of our need. Sometimes it's just hard to wait. So please pray for Skip. He's really burdened with this right now and he's having a tough time.

To make matters more complicated, we're experiencing a little bit of a dry spell in our relationship. It's just the natural ebb and flow of marriage. But it's nonetheless hard. Yes we had a week of camp where we were pretty much together all the time. But that wasn't "us" time. Everything we did or said was completely centered on the kids. And the only time we didn't have to attend to the kids (aka bedtime) he was off for a chapel session until late. So we're feeling disconnected right now. Normally if one of us is down the other is in a place to pull the down party out of the funk. But we're both kinda wallowing so we're kind of looking at each other like, "Now what do we do?" You could pray about that.

oops, my bad

This morning I went to wipe Ella's mouth with a hand towel after she had brushed her teeth. I wiped a little too hard and took her tooth with me. Oops. I was horrified because I could feel and hear the tooth tear out of her mouth. GROSS. Ella and I were just in the midst of a rather heated fight so I probably rubbed her face a little hard. I immediately felt terrible. She was speechless. We both just stared at each other. Instead of tears she smiled. Whew. I lucked out. She's thrilled as can be that her tooth is out. She showed it to everyone at church today.

So when I was of the tooth-losing age we lived here in MN. And at the time Gary Gaetti (Guy-etti) was a player for the MN Twins. We were huge Twins fans so we adopted Gary Gaetti as our tooth fairy. We'd leave our teeth under our pillows at night and my dad would write wonderfully creative stories from Gary Gaetti Tooth Fairy, telling of his adventures with the Twins. It was so much fun. I am pretty sure there are a few of those letters saved in my secret stash. Or maybe mom has them. At any rate, Ella doesn't buy into anything magical like Santa, the Easter Bunny, or tooth fairies. I was talking with her tonight about how the tooth fairy will come and bring her some money. She looks me square in the eye, totally serious, and says, "Mom. The tooth fairy is just you and dad. There is no such thing as a real tooth fairy." Like, duh, mom, how could you be so dense? Like, duh, like I'm so dumb as to think there's really a fairy? I tried to joke with her about it but she wouldn't have it. She's such a black and white kid. She definitely sees things as either being fair or unfair, right or wrong. Interesting.

She's got 2 more loose teeth on top. I was thinking of doing $1 for the first tooth, $2 for the second, and so on. But if she looses them quick I might have to take out a loan. Ha!

trout lake camp

We're back! True to Crust form, we left camp a little early. Instead of leaving this morning after breakfast, we packed up and came home late last night. It was so good to sleep in my own bed. We had an incredible trip, one that we plan on repeating many summers in the future.

Trout Lake Camps is in Pine River, MN, which is about 30 minutes outside of Brainerd, for you MN folks. It's about 2.5 hours from door to cabin. They have about 300 acres of forested land that is dotted with fields, cabins, huge buildings, barns, and more. I feel really inadequate describing it so I'll just stop and post some pics.

Here are some highlights...

Caught this gem on the way up. It's definitely a midwestern thing to not be too self-promoting so they settled for "Pretty Good Shopping" to describe this quaint strip mall. (See the sign in the middle of the pic). Sure wouldn't want to disappoint in case you were looking for "Really Good Shopping."

We spent way less time at the beach than I expected. Skip and I tossed around the football while the kids played with the kick boards. They collected snail shells. Mmm. That was a nice smell when we unpacked the beach bag.

Had a BLAST fishing in a little rowboat. Kids caught over 10 each between the 2 trips out. Mostly sunnies and perch. Fish are so stupid. Ella caught half of them on a bare hook.

Give me pouty, Simon, pouty. Perfect. Great shot.

Skip, Simon and Ella all did the 35-ft indoor climbing wall. Skip reached the top, Ella got up about half way before she looked down and freaked. Simon got up about 6 ft.

They have a horse corral with about 15 horses. They also have a little petting zoo. There were rabbits, a few little lambs, ducks and chickens. I like rabbits about as much as I like horses. It's the big teeth. I literally became overwhelmed from anxiety when I approached the horses. Both kids were dying to ride them. I could never be a farmer.

This is one of few pictures where Simon isn't impersonating the lead singer from Kiss.
We walked these roads from where we stayed (in one campground) to where we spent most of our time ( a different camp about a 15 min walk away). The grounds were thick forests that were absolutely breathtaking. Wild raspberry bushes lined the roads so anytime we were out walking we ate handfuls of the sweet little berries. YUM. We saw lots of wildlife, including several baby deer and their mamas.
I don't have a lot of patience for mini-golf. So when Skip and I were dating I invented "Jungle Ball." Basically you act like an animal whacking your ball all around the green, trying to get it in the hole as quickly as possible. The kids loved it!


My absolute favorite thing we did was canoeing. The camp is set on a huge lake, lined with thick forests, with lots of little "rivers" leading to different lakes. One of those rivers (not really a river but a narrow part of the lake) they call Hidden River. You can't see it from the shore. It's thick with lily pads and can get quite shallow. But it's a narrow, absolutely gorgeous, peaceful place. I have never felt more peaceful. And I had 2 bickering kids in the canoe, so you can only imagine what this place was like! Here are a few pics of that adventure. We even saw a bald eagle fly over us! Skip and I decided that we are going to buy a canoe this year. There are so many places to canoe in our area. And I just loved being on the water.
We had to go through the little tunnel in the middle of the picture below. Of course we had to yell as floated through, like we always do in tunnels.

There were so many lily pads and these gorgeous flowers all over!

My little Peanut!

Skip spent 2-3 weeks preparing for his nightly chapel sessions. And after the first night it became very clear to him that God wanted him to put it aside and He would give him the topic for the night. That was a little stressful for Skip as he had to spend a few hours a day preparing for that evening. But it was such a cool thing. Those kids really encountered God this week. I spent a LOT of time reading (no surprise there). I read 2.5 books and wished I had brought another 2. I only brought the first vampire book (Twilight by Stephenie Meyer), thinking I wouldn't even come close to finishing the 500 pages. I read it in a little over 24 hours. Sheesh. It was reeeeeally good. And I polished off another book and a half. Did lots of laying around and resting, naps, crossword puzzles, and walking. It was really nice. Kids spent some time in the craft shack making tie-dye shirts and necklaces. The weather was probably the most perfect weather I have experienced in all my life. Mid 70s all week, sunny, no rain, not too humid. It was amazing. They fed us well (I think I gained a few pounds) and we had a great place to stay. It was like a hotel with 2 adjoined rooms and our own bathroom. Very comfortable except for the sulfur-smelling water. Whew. That was nasty. The kids almost couldn't stand it.

Totally awesome summer vacation. Ella will be old enough to be a camper next summer so Skip will probably go up and speak at the same time she's there. I'm sure Simon and I will join them.

Yesterday was our 10th anniversary. It was a really great day. All day the campers were yelling, "Happy Anniversary!" There were 120 kids at our camp (at least that many at the other camp) so that's a lot of well wishers. Skip stood up at dinner and made a wonderful tribute to me in front of the kids. Of course we had to stand and kiss in front of everyone. It was a great way to celebrate a decade of being married. Last night on the drive home (at midnight) Skip asked me what my favorite part of the last 10 years has been. I told him it was the fun we have together. We are always laughing, joking, ribbing each other, trying to get the other person to laugh, etc. We have a lot of fun as a couple and as a family. It hasn't been an easy 10 years, but it has been good. Very very good. I'm so glad I married you, Skippy!

yea yea yea, i know it's been awhile

Ok so I know it's been 2 weeks since my last blog. And it'll be another week. We're leaving today for a week for our vacation. Woo hoo! We're going to Trout Lake Bible Camp (abt 3 hrs from here). Skip will be the camp pastor for the junior high camp. We get to tag along and stay in the lodge and do all the fun camp stuff. It's a sweet place with a ton of cool campy things to do - lake swimming, fishing, boating, horses, zip line, climbing wall, hiking, etc. It's supposed to be in the 70s and very nice. I should be packing right this second as we're leaving in a few hours. But, alas, I am blogging.

No internet, but there's a cell tower! So feel free to call me. I intend on spending a lot of time on the beach reading. Thanks to Karen for the vampire love stories. Should be interesting. :-)


Here are a few gems from my kids to leave with you.

The other day Ella caught Vinnie (the new dog) lifting his leg on the carpet. She screamed for me to come. I was expressing frustration and confusion as to why he would do such a thing since he's trained. Ella said, "I wonder if he didn't like the color of the floor." Never would have thought of that one.

I was sitting with the kids after dinner saying things like, "I love you as much as we can fill our house with marbles." It started out as a tender moment, but since we Crusts can never pass up an opportunity to turn things into a joke, Simon proceeds with this: "Ella, I love you as big as I can fart." Well, son, that must be a whole heckuva lot, then.