Locked out

Yesterday was the Timberwolves basketball game that Inga was going to go to with AFS, and she planned to take the bus downtown with AFS friends before the game and enjoy dinner there. But, when she and Mark got home, they found they were locked out of the house, and the garage door opener's battery was dead. Of course, they have been given keys, but they had gotten out of the habit of carrying them since they garage is easy access for them.

Of course, I was at work, with about 2 hours of work to finish. Luke and Tim were working in St. Paul, on the other side fo town, but had only about an hour left. Fortunately, Inga and Mark were able to hang out at a neighbor's until Luke and Tim got home. Inga's ticket was at home, so she missed the bus ride downtown but was able to catch a ride to the game.

Maybe next time they can see if they can borrow a screwdriver and battery to operate the opener again.

It's always somethin'.

Till next time,


Suzi

Fun concert

Every February the boys' high school bands have an informal "Pops" concert--this year was fun as usual. The kids arrive in varying states of dress--some wore clown suits, pajamas or wigs. Mark borrowed his friend's sister's purple hooded sweatshirt, Luke wore his red Trix t-shirt. Luke played his electric guitar in jazz band, and his bass clarinet in the regular band--Mark played the tenor sax in his band. We were also t reated to hearing various sectionals, including a double reeds performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody." You should have heard those oboes on "Galleleo, Gallileo (sp), etc." Quite an entertaining evening. And it was all topped off by a performance of the Robbinsdale city band.

A nice break during a taxing season.

Till next time,


Suzi

A leisurely day

Today I'm home--at least till something comes up. No frantic phone calls from my daughter at school (she's at environmental camp 4 hours away) about something she forgot, no tax work, at least till I get a phone call, and the only car repair I need to have taken care of is a burned out headlight which should be a stop-in kind of fix it job.

Tomorrow will be another story--work in Bloomington, picking up Christina at 5:30, etc. Inga's going to the Timberwolves basketball game with AFS, and the core group from the church plant are planning to see The Passion of the Christ. We didn't reserve tickets because we just aren't sure how our schedule will work out, and also I'm afraid of my reaction to the film, which I know will be overwhelming. Maybe I need to be shaken to be reminded of just what Christ has done for me.

I'm grateful for his sacrifice, which gives me the opportunity for eternal life, and the ability to enjoy each day on earth with him. He helps me through daily inconveniences and larger issues as well--he definitely knew suffering.

So, I thank him for the love and comfort that came out of his suffering--for taking my penalty on himself, so I won't have to suffer separation from him.

I shouldn't take the comfort of a day off for granted.

Till next time,


Suzi

Oversleeping

Last night I was at my mother-in-laws putting tax returns together till after 10. Christina was just getting ready for bed when I got up--saying she wanted to get up at 5:30 so she could take a shower before she leaves on her school field trip up north for 3 days.

So, I set me alarm, thinking it was for 5:30 when actually it was 5. I must have shut it off and fallen back asleep, woke up at 6 and thought it was only 5. Christina came tearing into our room at 6:30, so I jumped up and got dressed. Fortunatly, traffic wasn't bad and Christina had already packed everything. Turned out we were among the first to arrive. Alls well that ends well.

Till next time,


Suzi

Murphy's law 2 and God's grace

It was Monday. I was at the office. The phones were ringing--I managed to return most calls or take messages. The mail came--stacks of it, that needed to be dealt with fairly quickly. I didn't get to filing or paper work till the end of the day--the very end. I could feel my blood sugar dropping, but fortunately I had plenty of food in my lunch pail, and I decided to wait to take my insulin till I could eat a real supper.

It was after 7 when I went out to the van. Pushing my automatic start button, I listened to the feeble attempt for the engine to turn over. Only the lights and radio came on. Again I tried. Again nothing. I called Tim, who was busy at his mom's helping her with tax work, but was sympathetic. He suggested seeing if Jeff (my brother-in-law, the accountant whose office I was leaving at the time) to help. Jeff is a whiz with cars.

Jeff took time (after I tapped on the window to be let back in the locked building) to come help, tapping on the starter, jiggling and disconnecting various wires, but to no avail. We went back inside, and Tim called AAA to tow the van to a 24 hour service station. Tim and his dad rescued me, meeting the tow truck and bringing me Leann Chin stir fry.

At 7 am this morning Tim got a call saying the van would be ready at 10:30! It was the starter, and they also found a leak in the rear transmission seal. The washing machine repair man showed up at 8 am, saving me the trouble of hanging around all day waiting for him. Tim took me down to get the van, which was ready early. I stopped in at Jeff's to thank him again and tell him I already got the van back (and a free car wash in the deal), stopped at Target and the grocery store on my way home. Now I need to finish my Bible study and get the house ready, see if Christina has all she needs for her trip up north to environmental camp with school (for three days).

God is good, and helped me stay calm through the whole ordeal. I'm thankful for people who fix washers and dead starters in vans--in very timely fashions. I'm thankful for loved ones who help me even when they are stressed and very busy.

But I do have to say I hope nothing else breaks, at least not till after April 15.

Till next time,


Suzi

Murphy's law

On Saturday evening, Mark let me know that the washing machine was not working right. He had started a load on Friday, but forgot to tell me there was a problem. So, his clothes were sitting in dirty water overnight--the spin cycle was not working. Fortunately we have service plus on the washer, so I called Minnegasco and they will be out tomorrow. Meanwhile, I was bailing water from the washer and wringing Mark's clothes by hand before putting them in the washer. Then on SUnday, I did five large loads of laundry at the laundromat. It was interesting being a minority there--there were mostly Asians, hispanics and African Americans there, all speaking their own language or variety of English. It was a great cultural experience.

It lowered my blood sugar, too--I was so busy hauling clothes from various washers and dryers--by the time I got the last load in the wash, the first load was ready to go in the dryer. I thought I'd get some reading down while I waited, but no such luck. Fortunately, Tim drove over and helped me pack up the last loads, still damp, but at least the dryer works.

Oh, and I bumped my head on an open dryer door (the top one). Maybe it will knock some sense into me and remind the kids not to wait to do all their laundry on Sunday.

Till next time,


Suzi

A mystery solved

For about three years now, Tim has been the treasurer of our AFS local chapter. Soon after he assumed the post, we started getting bank statements from another chapter, and were never able to determine how we could access the money from that account so we could help US students go abroad with AFS. Today, a signer for the account found us and called! That chapter is now defunct, and the treasurer has passed away. We can now funnel that money in a useful place and help students who wouldn't otherwise be able to have an exchange experience to do so.

Ain't life grand!

Till next time,


Suzi

Another snowy commute

Here it is another work day, and another snowfall. The trees are beautiful with the snow clinging to the branches. This is wet sloppy stuff, so I have my windshield washer stuff full. Hope the drive's not too bad.....at least we didn't get the accumulation they were predicting--only about an inch of actual snow so far.

Till next time,


Suzi

Weather warm-up

Yesterday the temperature got to 42 degrees! Hurray! It hasn't been above freezing for over a month. A couple of days ago on my walk, the sun was shining and the temperature was comfortable. The ground was still blanketed in snow, but in spite of the sunshine, I noticed an unusual fog covering an area lake. Everywhere else was sunny and bright. I watched at a commuter stopped by the lake, took her camera, and snapped pictures of the unusual sight. THe fog covered part of the road, too--justs for about 50 feet.

Then, as I watched, and after the camera woman drove away, the fog began to lift. The road was clear and the lake began to clear as well.

God's creation is wonderous, beautiful and sometimes mysterious.

Till next time,


Suzi

Bicycling with garbage?

On our morning walks Raven and I almost always see interesting things. Today we saw something interesting and unusual. The weather is warming up, so I wasn't too surprised to see a bicyclist pedaling about. But what interested me was that he was pulling something that looked like a faded red old plastic garbage can, with some sort of writing or graffitti on it. The man himself looked the part of a 60s hippy--long hair, beard, etc. He gave me a cheery good morning as he sailed by with the big can behind him on some sort of wheeled trailer--just a metal or mesh one, but strong enough to keep the can from tipping over.

Maybe that's one way to get the trash out of the house.

Till next time,


Suzi

Sailing in

Yesterday I got to the office in record time--about 25 minutes.

There were no government workers on the road.

I can't believe what a difference this makes in traffic--no postal workers, no educators, no state or county employees driving on the highways.

I thought it would be smooth sailing coming home, and to boot I worked late.

But I got in the traffic with all those coming home from their president's weekend holiday. It wasn't too bad, but not as smooth as in the morning.

Maybe I should get a government job.

Till next time,

Suzi

"Holiday' working

Today is President's Day, so the kids don't have school, but of course we still have to go to work. The boys are working with Tim and I'm going down to the office, but the girls get to sleep in. I took the luxury of some extra time in bed since I didn't have to get the kids off to school and traffic won't be so bad with all the government workers at home (and no snow is falling!)

Tomorrow I don't have to work, so it will be back to normal.

Till next time,


Suzi

DSL IS HERE!

Hurray--Tim got DSL hooked up! He hasn't been able to network our three computers completely yet, though, but my computer is plugged into the modem. Luke doesn't have XP (he's on Windows 98, I think), so we have to work on that to get him on DSL--meanwhile he can use this computer for internet stuff.

It's so nice not to tie up the phone line and to have faster capabilities. But now we don't have an extra excuse for the kids to get off when we want them to (like, "so and so needs to use the phone so GET OFF NOW!)

But, it's mostly good news, so we will rejoice.

Till next time,

Suzi

I'm trying to enter another blog, but can't get on my computer yet, so I'm blogging on this comment. Tim should have our computers networked soon--we have DSL on his computer now! Yay! So, we'll see when we can all be computing on DSL...

Till next time,

Suzi

Getting closer to DSL

Yesterday the UPS truck arrived, but it didn't have our DSL stuff--but Tim's radio that he got free on a rebate from tools he bought before Christmas. But Tim and Luke were inspired to drills holes all around the house as we used spoons and pencils to guide phone and computer wire through them so we can network the 3 computers in our house.

High speed internet, here we come! And we can still keep USFamily as our ISP--hurray!

Till next time,

Suzi

Phenylpropanolamine

I got an e-mail about Phenylpropanolamine--which is contained in several over the counter medicines such as mainly cold medicines. For more info, link here

Here is part of the e-mail: STOP TAKING anything containing this ingredient. It
has been linked to increased hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in
brain) among women ages 18-49 in the three days after starting
use of medication. Problems were not found in men, but the FDA
recommended that everyone (even children) seek alternative medicine.

The following medications contain Phenylpropanolamine:

Acutrim Diet Gum Appetite Suppressant
Acutrim Plus Dietary Supplements
Acutrim Maximum Strength Appetite Control
Alka-Seltzer Plus Children's Cold Medicine Effervescent
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold medicine (cherry or orange)
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine Original
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold &Cough Medicine Effervescent
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold &Flu Medicine
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold &Sinus Effervescent
Alka Seltzer Plus Night-Time Cold Medicine
BC Allergy Sinus Cold Powder
BC Sinus Cold Powder
Comtrex Flu Therapy &Fever Relief
Contac Day &Night 12-Hour Cold Capsules
Contac 12 Hour Caplets
Coricidin D Cold, Flu &Sinus
Dexatrim Caffeine Free
Dexatrim Extended Duration
Dexatrim Gelcaps
Dexatrim Vitamin C/Caffeine Free
Dimetapp Cold &Allergy Chewable Tablets
Dimetapp Cold &Cough Liqui-Gels
Dimetapp DM Cold &Cough Elixir
Dimetapp Elixir
Dimetapp 4 Hour Liquid Gels
Dimetapp 4 Hour Tablets
Dimetapp 12 Hour Extentabs Tablets
Naldecon DX Pediatric Drops
Permathene Mega-16
Robitussin CF
Tavist-D 12 Hour Relief of Sinus &Nasal Congestion
Triaminic DM Cough Relief
Triaminic Expectorant Chest &Head
Triaminic Syrup Cold &Allergy
Triaminic Triaminicol Cold &Cough ...

Then I received a follow up e-mail with the following: "The FDA site at the end of this message (the link above) states that many companies have reformulated their products and removed the phenylpropanolamine so the list of products in this email may have already been "cleaned up". Just thought you might like to know."

I wonder if this had anything to do with sudden deaths of our sons' friends mom (age 46--aneurism) and the mysterious death of our former neighbor (age 20) who was found dead in the shower, with no marks or anything--her heart just stopped.

Scary stuff--but I'm glad the drug companies are reformulating their products. Might not be a bad idea to look to see what's in the medicine cabinet.....

Till next time,


Suzi

Snowing on a non-work day!

I can't believe it--it's snowing outside and I don't have to go to work! I do have BSF this morning, though--so I'll try to leave a bit early to get there on time, because even the little bit of snow that's falling can slow things way down on the roads.

Christina and Luke are home sick--colds and sore throats. On Monday it was Mark--Inga was sick last week but I don't think she missed any school. Christina has no school on Friday and Monday is President's day. What a life.

Till next time,


Suzi

Blogging late

Well, it's almost noon and here I am blogging. I just couldn't pull myself out of bed at 5 am for the second day in a row, so I waited till 6, got the kids up and going, made Tim's lunch, and at 7 walked the dog--a pretty brisk wind today, temp 10 degrees F (above zero!)

I then went to my appointment with my new doctor, Dr. Stesin, an endocronologist. He was very nice, older than me but younger looking (I am getting tired of all these doctors who are younger than me.......), but his resident associate is probably half my age (depressing) but seemed nice and efficient. He was Asian, so he reminded me a little of Noh, our Thai boy from last year.....

I went to the hospital for lab work. The good thing about that is that you get your exercise, down to the lower level, through the tunnel, down the hall.......and also you get your parking pass validated. Yea! I didn't have to pay even the $2 discount fee I pay when I come for my diabetes education session with my nutritionist or diabetic nurse educator.

Dr. Stesin told me about an insulin pump, perhaps to consider for the future. He has about 500 patients currently loving the pump. He says in the future you can implant the pump and there will even be an implant available in your neck (I think that's what he said) for testing blood sugar with a remote device. The bionic diabetic! I like it. I just hope I can still use my cell phone (we have our priorities, after all.......)

Till next time,

Suzi

Another Well gathering

Last night was our second Sunday evening gathering at the Well. It was a bit hard to get everyone as enthused this time--to put in volunteer time before and after, watching kids, helping set up, etc. But once we were there, it was great. There was a glitch when an electrical cord came unplugged on stage and was swinging behind the worship band. Tim quickly noticed it and jumped up to get a ladder and correct the problem. His brother Greg came up to help, as well as other stage crew techies. Problem solved--now we now to better tape wires to prevent another incident.

The message, music and fellowship was great, not to mention the refreshments (Starbucks coffee, tea or hot chocolate, as well as bagels, donuts and gorp.)

Next meeting, Leap Day, February 29 (Mark's 16th birthday)!

Till next time,

Suzi

Wonder follows work

Yesterday wasn't too bad at work--things are generally quieter on Fridays, especially in the afternoon. I was still answering a couple of phone calls after 4:30, however, but got out of the office a little after 5. The commute in hadn't been too bad in spite of some snow fall (only about an inch), so I figured the ride home wouldn't be bad.

Wrong-o. Since it wasn't subzero or snowing, traffic was heavy--everyone decided to leave work at the normal time. I sat on highway 494 for at least 1/2 hour (normally about a five minute commute). Tim called and asked me to pick up a mouse cord extension on the way home, and I was sailing along Hwy 100 until the snow started and things slowed way down. I got off on the wrong exit and couldn't find the store he wanted me to go to. WHen I called for directions from him, his cell phone wasn't working right. I finally called him on his mom's phone (he was working in her office) and he told me not to worry. Ninety minutes after I left Bloomington, I arrived in Crystal (normally a 30 minute drive). Fortunately, Christina was at a basketball game and had gotten a ride, but Mark and Inga were home with about 6 other teens and eating only poptarts and granola bars. (The last pizza had freezer burn.)

Tim and I went out to Timberlodge and then to get the mouse extension. By the time I got home, the teens were still there, so I made brownies. Mark's friend's mom had arranged to get flowers for Mark for the dance tonight, and Tim's brother dropped off a suit coat for Mark to wear.

Anyway, today, Raven and I enjoyed a lovely walk. It was a bit nippy--about 10 degrees, so cooler than the last couple of days, but the sun was shining and the snow was shimmering. We walked down to the Great War memorial (they didn't know when it was built that it would be the first of 2 World Wars) and gazed down the parkway. There, the tree-lined area canopied over blocks and blocks of pristine snow. It was quite a beautiful, peaceful sight. I relaxed, releasing the tension of the past day and smiling. Raven loved the snow, burrowing into it like he planned to hibernate. He even did his business in a mound of snow in someone's yard, forcing me to wade knee deep into the snow with my faithful plastic bag.

Sure, the weather and snow can be bothersome. But it is good to see God's handiwork in it and stop to take a moment to thank him for the beauty of his creation. I'm glad I live in a land of four seasons, where we have such variety. Summer and green and heat and humidity will come soon enough. It's great to enjoy a rare leisurely morning where, if I can't stop and smell the roses, I can at least revel in the awesomeness of our God who creates such beautiful patterns in the snow, on trees, the earth, and manmade structures as well--he even leaves his imprint of heaven's gift on the lids of garbage cans.

Till next time,


Suzi

All work and no play.......

Last night Mark asked if he could go to a formal dance at school Saturday night, and take him shopping after school for a suit at a thrift store. Ay ay ay!
I reminded him I'm working outside the home, maybe we'd have time Saturday during the day.....maybe he could get by with just a nice shirt and tie....and by the way, does your date have a corsage? I have no idea if it's too late to order something like that.

I worked a bit at Tim's mom office yesterday, putting a tax return together and running errands. Tim worked drywall and then went to his mom's till 10 pm--he didn't even finish everything that was there, but was too exhausted to continue, and his mom had gone to bed.

No rest for the wicked, I guess.

Till next time,


Suzi

Poor Raven (and Christina)

Last night Raven was sick (upset stomach). I cleaned up the mess, and now today it is rice and lean hamburger for him. He doesn't act sick--only hungry--so it is hard not to want to give him doggy treats. But, I suppose we should stick with rice and meat for a couple of days till his stomach settles down. Who knows what he may have gotten into or eaten in the snow on recent walks?

Meanwhile, Christina is recovering from her 10 fillings yesterday--an appointment that went on for almost 2 hours. She was a trooper, and very numb. She came home and sucked down 3 yogurts, and today her mouth is a bit sore. I hope she will now brush more often and lay off the sweet, sticky candy.

Till next time,


Suzi

Work, work, work

Today after BSF I'm going over to my mother-in-laws to put tax returns together. Then I need to take Christina to the dentist for her 90 minute appt. to get her many cavities filled, then run Mark up to a job site where he will help Tim. Tomorrow I think I'm joining Tim at the house he's taping, then Friday I go back to the office to work at Jeff's.

Who says the economy is bad?

Till next time,



Suzi

A regular Minnesota winter

After experiencing several wimpy winters, we've finally gotten a true Minnesota winter going.

About a foot of snow fell over two days, leaving snow plow presents at the end of the driveway and headaches on the interstate. So far, I've worked two Mondays and a Friday. Last Monday it snowed (only about 6 inches) and on Friday we were colder than Siberia. Yesterday, I got up by 5 to get ready and hopefully leave by 6, but with shoveling and everything it was 7:15 before I got on the road. What normally takes my 25-30 minutes turned into a 95 minute commute. Coming home only took about an hour--I left about 5:30, and not too many people were on the roads at that time, but it was still slippery and slow going.

Christina woke up not feeling well yesterday, which turned out to be a good thing because she would have taken the bus and found out that her private school was closed. (She takes public school transportation--and the public schools were open.) One of her friends' parents drove him to school, fighting traffic and weather for an hour, only to find a sign on the door: "School closed."

Can't wait for the next winter adventure. (Today the temp is struggling to get above zero.)

Till next time,

Suzi

Evening blog

I'm blogging Sunday evening so I can get an early start tomorrow morning. We've received about 6 inches of snow with a nasty morning commute planned for the rest of our snowfall tomorrow. We'll see when it's said and done--but it supposed to snow most of tomorrow, so we may end up with a foot all totalled. Well, at least it's warmer--even in the teens above zero! We are grateful.

Tomorrow, we may have cancellations, but if not, it will be a busy day at the tax office. This year we have two people seeing clients, so twice as many coming in, making phone calls, drinking coffee, etc.........

Happy Monday!

Till next time,

Suzi