Rainy day

It's the second day that it's raining, but the grass is really turning green, leaves are popping out on trees, and tulips are blooming. Pretty soon we'll have to get out the lawnmower and start cutting the grass.

Last night Tim and I had a good talk with his cousin Terry about a variety of family issues (these are what I was referring to in my previous blog). We didn't solve everything, but had a great talk and I'm feeling much more at peace about things.

Tim's work is slowing down now--he's only got a couple of jobs lined up for next week. So maybe we'll get to spend some good quality time together. Or maybe he/we can get caught up on paper work and getting stuff done around here. It seems this is always my hope but I don't always make a lot of progress.

Well, I'm going to enjoy these last couple of days of April because they will usher in my favorite month, May. One week from tomorrow is our 23rd wedding anniversary. Now that I think of it, we had a snow storm a week before our wedding.

No precip like that today, but it's only 48 degrees. A good day for ducks or for us humans to be indoors.

Till next time,


Suzi

Day Two

Well, I'm already starting to reap the benefits of being home to help Tim with his stuff. In the past two days, we've received three checks for Drywall Design and I've made the deposits. God is good and he will meet our needs. It's nice to be home when the mail comes, then I can run to the bank before three o'clock so we can get the deposits credited before the next business day.

Also, Luke needs some help with his business, so I'm trying to lend a hand in that area. Eventually, I may do payroll (for Tim) and other bookkeeping stuff.

Christina is getting ready for prom. It's two weeks from today, and she'll be getting out of school early. Since I'm no longer working, I'll be available to take her to get her hair done and help her with her dress, etc. before her big evening. Tim took her on Wednesday night to get her dress (I just wasn't up for it then). Actually, he read my blog while he was in the mall waiting for her to try on dresses (he's got remote internet access). So, he's learning to multi-task in a whole new way--surfing the net and mall shopping. Quite a bit different than the other hats he's used to wearing--accountant, bookkeeper, delivery person, drywall hanger/taper, supervisor, employer, mediator, and on and on.

It's raining today, so it's a little gloomy, but I think I'll do some baking. Tim doesn't mind if the oven's on if it's an overcast or cool day. (He doesn't like a hot kitchen in the middle of July, though!) Plus, baked goods are always nice comfort food. But don't worry, I'll be checking my blood sugar. And on Monday I've got a lab appointment to see how things are going--with a visit to my endocronologist the following week.

Life goes on...

Till next time,


Suzi

The first day in a row

You know there's that saying, "Today is the first day in the rest of your life." It's good to start fresh every day, greet the Lord and thank him for another day of life, and move on from trials and temptations of the past.

As I move on to this next jobless (or at least temporarily so) phase of my life, I am gratified by the amount of support I've already received with word getting out about my job ending. I e-mailed a few people before I left the office, letting them know I wouldn't be working with them via e-mail or phone any more, and many responded with encouragement and kind words. One person even wrote, "Thanks for the info, but I am disappointed. We had a good thing going!" Then she wished me God's best. I am disappointed too, and in her case, I had just started creating things on the web page that she had asked me to do and had even posted some pictures from her. Guess I'll have to work on picture posting on this blog instead.

Anyway, thanks for all who have called, e-mailed or left comments on my blog in the past day--Mom & Dad, Cheri, Rick, Rodney, Warren, Lori. Even my friend Thomas in New York read my blog and dashed me an e-mail--thanks Thomas--feel free to leave a comment here sometime!

As I look out my window I see that a tree stump from the church behind us is finally being removed. Tim took a picture of the downed tree after the nasty storm we had here last September. (Look here and scroll down to September 22.) There were a lot of downed trees back then and slowly but surely the stumps have been removed from most of the neighborhood. It's quite a task when you think of the root system of some of these large trees.

Even though I feel like my roots have been yanked out to an extent, I know that my job was just a job, and I was only there 10 months--not long enough to go down too deep. I do, however, get attached to people easily, so even the gentle yanking of ten months' growth is painful. However, my real roots are at home with my family and beyond--with the family I grew up with and ultimately with my Christian brothers and sisters. My roots are in my faith and in my God, not in a place of employment.

So, as my friend Rick would say (thanks for the reminder Dad), on we go. Sometimes it seems like two steps forward, three steps backward, but eventually we'll get the three steps forward two steps backward down. Because after all, tomorrow is another day. I'll step into it and hope not to find myself ankle deep in icky stuff--but even if I do, I know I can get cleaned up and walk back through the muck of life with the support of those around me and with the help of my Savior whose already walked before me.

Till next time,


Suzi

Many days in a row

It's rather ironic that I wrote yesterday about going back to work only three days a week. Because, soon after I arrived at work today, I met with Boss #1 and Boss #2. They talked about how the consultant we met with in December was recommending various changes, and one of them was out sourcing our communications department.

Namely, me.

I could tell it was hard for them and they said they would give me two weeks severance and take me out to lunch if I was up to staying all morning. I accepted their offer and we had a nice meal together. They promised me good references if I needed them for future employment.

I didn't sleep too well last night because of other issues in our family I won't go into now, so I was a little weepy this morning. However, Tim plans to teach me to do the accounting/book work for his business and thereby relieve him of at least part of the impossible task he has of running a business, doing the bookkeeping & payroll, keeping a myriad of clients happy, sending out invoices in a timely manner, and keeping his employees busy.

It's a tough day, but also an opportunity for new beginnings. I'm trying to look on the bright side, but there are moments when it's just plain hard.

Till next time,


Suzi

Two days in a row

It's weird--being back to working a three-day week. I feel almost guilty, having a second "work" day off in a row. Even my morning visit to the eye doctor was just a contact lens check, and I was in and out of there in less than 30 minutes.

However, I just got a throw-back to tax days with a phone call a little bit ago. It was my brother-in-law Jeff, looking for paperwork that had come in during the busy time at the end, but that wasn't related to tax stuff so it was "set aside." We both remember discussing the paperwork, but didn't recall where it ended up. Hopefully Jeff will find it soon. I hesitated to answer the call because Jeff's number shows up as "out of area" and it almost always is a solicitor when that shows up on caller ID. And when I did answer, there was no response right away, so I was getting ready to hang up when I tried hello again and found a friendly voice on the other end.

Well, there is plenty to do around here to keep my mind and hands busy so I don't have to think about either "real" job. I know I'll get back into a routine and hopefully whip things into shape around here. Mostly I need to get rid of junk, something that isn't an easy thing for me to do. I should probably borrow Christina for several hours and sit near a trash can or recycling bin and have her say, "Mom, get rid of that." It's somehow easier to part with stuff when you can see the value it doesn't really have through someone else's eyes.

Like that Cub Foods receipt with the coupons on the back that have expired. Well, maybe I'll go to that store and redeem that coupon even though it's past--some stores continue to honor old coupons.

Or maybe I'll move on and fill the garbage can.

Till next time,


Suzi

Ahhhhhhhhh Monday

Today is the first Monday in over three months that I've been home. It is really nice. I was able to finish up my BSF lesson for tonight this morning, and now I can turn to other tasks around the house, knowing I've got tomorrow to finish up things I don't accomplish today. I know I shouldn't savor things too much, but being the first Monday off in a long while, I guess I can't help it.

I took time to take a little nap and then Tim stopped home with Terry and Judd to pick up some tools. I jumped right up and ran to the door, and Terry could somehow tell I'd been sleeping. Oh well, I was up a couple of times during the night so I figured a couple extra zzzzzzs today wouldn't hurt too much. Hey, it's my day off.

Okay, well, back to "work" now. Ahhhhhhh I love being home.........

Till next time,


Suzi

Annual Meeting

Annual Meeting may strike thoughts of boredom or at least avoidance in many people's hearts, but I wanted to attend at least some portion of our Northwest Conference Annual Meeting. For me, it's not really about voting or sitting in meetings discussing future plans.

It's about seeing old friends.

So, when I was told at work that I would not need to attend the Annual Meeting, I have to say I was a little disappointed. But, I held out hope. There was a worship service Friday evening, and I could bring Tim along.

Of course, Tim was working late Friday. Of course, we decided to get a bite to eat before the service started. Of course, my WATCH STOPPED WORKING at 6:40 (the service started at 7) so I thought we had plenty of time (the church where the service was held was only 5 minutes from our eating place).

I think we arrived ten minutes late. I saw familiar faces--mostly people/pastors that have been in and out of our office, or at the Leadership Forums I've attended.

At the end of the service, which was quite nice, our pastor found us and came over. "Are you guys delegates?" he asked. I replied, of course not, you'd know, since we would be coming from our church as delegates--although I suppose I could have slipped in our names at the office while tallying responses from delegates (which is what our pastor thought I might have done.)

Then, the moment I had been hoping for had arrived. Our former pastor at Trinity found us and we talked to him for over 30 minutes. (After introducing him to our current pastor who went on to greet another old friend of his.) He recently came back to Minnesota from Florida--he'd been pastoring a church there for several years after he left Trinity, but for the last 5 weeks or so he's been in Duluth at a new church (for him and his wife). It was so great to catch up--we stood talking in the sanctuary while everyone else left, and continued our conversation in the foyer while the custodian was vacuuming.

This was the real reason I wanted to attend--hoping to see Pastor Jeff. He and Tim had been pretty close during his time and Trinity, and I was glad we both got a chance to catch up with him. Now that he's back in the northern territory, away from hurricane country, I'm hoping we'll get to see more of him and his wife Gina.

Moving ahead with new ventures is always great, but I love reveling in the old and familiar. Sharing a history with people is comfortable (when they are accepting of you, at least!) and in our fast paced world, not as common as I'd like.

Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold. (I may have posted that lyric before, but it bears repeating!)

Till next time,


Suzi

Meeting Bella

I got to meet little Isabella yesterday. She is my co-worker's (Nicole) daughter, and she was recently adopted from Colombia. Nicole stopped by the office on her day off to pick up stuff for the conference's annual meeting (so actually she'll be working part of the day).

It was fun to see Max (Bella's brother) with his new sister. Max was adopted from Colombia, too, and he is now 3 years old. He loves his little sister and touches her face often and kisses her hands. Bella loves to smile and kick her legs.

This was a reminder to me of how fast our kids grow up. Yesterday Mark brought home the graduation card announcements from school--the big day is May 27. Mark your calendars also for Saturday, June 3--though this will not be Lorelei and Luke's wedding day (Gilmore Girls fans) it will instead by the day we are planning for Mark's graduation open house. For those who know Mark, watch your mail for invitations.

Yikes, this means I have only a little over a month to clean and plan for food! And this means I have only a little over a month before my baby boy will be finishing high school! High school! He is 18 years old and already making plans to get an apartment with friends. Well, at least we'll have Christina for a couple more years. And maybe more than that.

We'll just have to treasure the days they are home. Even though I sometimes wanted to sock people who told me when the kids were in their terrible twos, "Oh, enjoy these days--they grow up so fast!" I now realize they were right. So I'll try to treasure the "terrible" teens now. It's not always easy, but ya gotta hug 'em while you can.

And my kids are pretty huggable and really are pretty great. I'm thankful I learned the great art of hugging from my very huggable dad. There's nothin' like a good, well-timed, comfortable and meaningful hug. I have a feeling there will be a lot of hugging on May 27 and June 3.

Till next time,


Suzi

Peace and quiet

Today at the office the phone is hardly ringing. Jon came into the office, and Nicole will stop by later to pick up a delivery of Annual Meeting booklets (which have not yet arrived...). So, I have some company, but mostly I'm catching up on cleaning up my desk, stocking pop in the refrigerator downstairs (a very important task) and updating my data base.

Kinda nice after the craziness of tax time.

There is lots to do at home, though. Mark's graduation is looming closer and closer, and Tim and I are still hoping for a weekend getaway in May~possibly with our good friends Scott & Yvonne. This will mean I need to clean out our bedroom closet because Terry will be staying with the kids and I think he plans to have Christina do lots of cleaning while we're gone. Plus it's time to get rid of stuff~spring cleaning and all that, you know. The back porch needs to be attended to as well, since stuff sometimes ends up there that has "no other place."

Looks like there will be work waiting for me after the office. Ah well, I like to keep busy. Maybe I should figure out a way for Raven to do some work when he's home alone...

Till next time,


Suzi

Birthday celebration

Today our whole office staff was together for staff meeting, then we walked down to the Longfellow Grill for a delicious lunch. We were celebrating Jim's birthday (the superintendent of our conference). It was a lovely day, but unfortunately they didn't have the chairs and tables set up outside for outdoor seating.

Back at work, things were busy. Tomorrow the Annual Meeting starts, and the phones were ringing with last minute questions and reservations. Name tags had to be assembled and other data collected. I'll be in the office alone for the next couple of days during the meetings--it should be quiet, so I'm planning on getting caught up on stuff and also preparing for the next newsletter.

At home I had a roast I was planning to serve Tim and his crew, but Terry was sick, Judd didn't work today and Christian was meeting a friend. Christina and boyfriend Pete were here when I got home from work, but then they left. Tim called Luke, so Tim and I enjoyed dinner with Luke and Mark, our boys. Just like in the olden days. We ate up all the food, so I guess it wasn't too bad (I didn't get the salad out that I had planned to serve the larger group.)

Tim fixed our Tivo so I'm happy we can still "tape" our favorite shows. He also fixed our dishwasher--some screws had come loose so he put in some new ones to keep everything in place.

It's a lovely evening--a bit cloudy, but we really need the rain. I love it when it rains at night and then the days are sunny. Nicole (my office co-worker) said she tells her three-year old son that the thunder is Jesus talking to him. Wish I had thought of that when the kids were little. Because, it really is true. He speaks to us through creation.

Right now the creation in my house is barking his head off so I better see what's up.

Till next time,


Suzi

The tax man cameth

April 18. Ahhhhhh, we've been dreaming of and anticipating this day for a long time. Rest from taxing labors. Peace from ringing phones and paperwork. Blissful sleep.

Last night Tim and I met after our tax work. We went to Applebee's for dinner. Tim had filed our own personal extension already, along with a check with anticipated expenses for the federal. I guess we'll be getting a refund from the state, which will probably be applied to estimated taxes for this quarter or the next.

Anyway, it's nice to be done. It's fun to be home with my dog, and right now I'm sort of trapped here because there is a big truck blocking my driveway. The city is working on the pump station which sits adjacent to our lot. I know if I needed to move they would move for me--they've done it before. But I'm enjoying the hum of their truck and working on getting TiVo running again. Even though TiVo will be less "necessary" now that I'm home more often, it's still nice to have, and I guess we need to reload it or something. I'm trying to figure it out.


Easter was just wonderful. We spent the day up at Tim's aunt & uncle's house (Terry's parents). They live about 45 minutes north of here. I was told not to bring anything, and I ended up bringing my two cherry pies home, untouched. There was turkey and ham and mashed potatoes and corn and broccoli and broccoli salad and lemon type jello and glorified rice, and for dessert cherry cheesecake and bavarian cake etc. etc. Terry and his daughter Maria were there, and his brothers Kenny and John and sister Denise were there with their families as well. Before heading up, Tim & I went to the Well (our church) for a lovely service which was preceded by a delicious breakfast. All our kids joined us, which was a special treat because Luke hasn't been to our church with us in several months. Grandma and Grandpa Nelson came to the service too, and we got to sit with Dale and Beckie. A wonderful morning.

But back to Easter at the McBrides'. It was a gorgeous day--although the weather forecasters had been saying all week long that Easter would be gloomy, windy and rainy. They have a wonderful lot with several acres and two garages/pole barns. Some of the group took to shooting golf balls on the makeshift driving range. (I refrained. So did Tim, not wanting to aggravate his sciatic nerve which has been inactive for a long time.) Terry and Luke took out the dirt bike for a ride in the expansive field. I eventually went back in the house and sat on the back porch for awhile, where I witnessed Terry wiping out on the dirt bike. He seemed to go out gracefully, however, and hopped right back on. It was like deja vu--watching our former exchange student Marcelo on the soccer field. He'd go down, and seem to be hurt badly, but then he'd bounce right back up and start running again.

After awhile I headed to the piano. Pat (Tim's uncle) is really good on the piano and has a wonderful collection, including Neil Diamond hits. I picked out a couple of tunes and Pat came to join me and sang along and turned the pages. It was really fun.

All too soon it was time to head back. We had brought up a chair which Pat and Terry welded for us, so we crammed back into the Highlander as Terry was riding home with us. We stopped at Home Depot because Luke needed paint to finish his bedroom. Tim bought bungee cords and Tim and Terry strapped the chair on the roof so there was more room to sit in the car. That made Christina happy, because then she could drive the rest of the way home. (She's the littlest, so she was relegated to the back seat to make things a little less packed.)

Anyway, it was fun getting to know Tim's cousins and their families a little bit better, and relaxing before the final push of Tax Day.

The trees are really starting to leaf out now--I think by the end of the week they will be pretty full. The grass is green just about everywhere, and I'm looking forward to May and lilacs. And our anniversary. It will be 23 years on May 7. Time flies when you're havin' fun.

And today for sure, I'm havin' fun.

Till next time,


Suzi

The inbetween day

Here is Saturday. The day after Good Friday, but the day before Resurrection Sunday.

Sometimes I try to imagine what the disciples were thinking and doing on this day. It must have been a day of great despair. Their friend, their leader, their companion, their Lord, had just been senselessly killed. And not just any death--but death by crucifixion, which had followed a horrible beating.

Did any of them recall his words that he would rise again? Did they remember the comfort he promised them and the love that would never end? Or was their grief so overwhelming that they could not be consoled?

I know that there are times in my life like that. Even when I know the depth of my Savior's love, sometimes I feel alone and disheartened, even depressed. I even find strange "comfort" in wallowing in my self-pity. Not a pretty thing to observe.

It was good that Jesus didn't stay in the grave too long. How amazing the joy of the followers of Jesus must have been after they had been down so low. Easter came. Jesus is risen! He is alive! He has conquered even death itself!

As we remember the suffering and pain of the cross, only then can we truly celebrate the joy of Easter. Up from the grave he arose! Yes, his death was horrible, yes the grave seemed final. But Easter gives us hope to rise above whatever pain and problem we may be experiencing, and we can rejoice as the early disciples did.

Today, in our earthly bodies, we may grieve as we are held to the bonds of earth. But tomorrow, Resurrection Sunday, we are reminded that we who trust in Jesus will someday rise like he did and be forever at home with our Lord.

Yesterday was Friday. But Sunday is coming! Hallelujah!

Till next time,


Suzi

Phones are ringin'

The phone is ringing off the hook here at the conference office. Next week is our annual meeting, and several people are calling about ministerial licensing. I feel like I'm in the tax office!

Tomorrow and Monday I will be in the tax office for the last two-day push before the END! I wonder if we'll have our personal taxes done by then...

However, I must take time out to remember the REAL significance of this holy week--and know that Easter doesn't have the impact it should have unless we take time to reflect on the cross and Jesus' suffering for our sake. Jesus couldn't have risen if he hadn't first died.

Reflecting on the pain of the cross isn't pretty, but so necessary. I'm grateful for what Jesus did and need to remind myself of his great love for me and for us all every day.

Till next time,


Suzi

Workin' split shifts

Yesterday I ended up working half the day at the tax office, and a couple of hours at the conference. It was fun to be working with Dawn again (my sister-in-law) since last year we worked together one day each week. This year her sister has been helping, and I'm looking forward to being with both of them on Friday and Monday for our final push/grand-finale.

At the conference office I met with a web company owner/sales rep, and was very encouraged as he and his wife walked me through some fun web stuff. I guess my learning curve is all right as he mentioned I'd be a candidate for his "advanced" class (as opposed to intermediate or beginners). Of course, I have been on the computer for many years doing desk top publishing as well as general e-mail stuff, word processing, spread sheets, etc. etc. And this blog has given me lots of practice, too (I know, I should be posting pictures more often!). At any rate, it's nice to hear from someone in the field that you do have half a brain in your head. I'm hoping we will take advantage of their services and have them as our web host.

One more day at the conference office then Friday I'll be "off" and back at the tax office. Last night Terry's mom (Tim's aunt) invited our family to join them for Easter dinner. We are really looking forward to spending time with the McBride clan.

Till next time,


Suzi

Quick blog

Just a quickie today--got into the tax office, did some more filing and phone answering. I think it really helps to get a jump on the day. Mail needs to be sorted now, and I'll stay for a couple of hours here at least.

Christina is home sick today--it may be something she ate last night at a picnic (it almost reached 80 degrees yesterday). Terry is still home sick, but he hopes to work this afternoon. My sister's apple vinegar/honey tea recipe is helping he says. I talked to my mom this morning--she's got some more tests coming up on her health stuff, but she sounded really good.

Gotta run!

Till next time,


Suzi

No blog today

I worked a long day today. Got lots of filing done, though. Tomorrow I'm going to work a few hours at the tax office, too. I missed Bible Study Fellowship tonight, but I picked up the notes for this week and next week at last week's meeting.

Might go with Terry to his Bible study tomorrow night. But then I'll have to Tivo Gilmore Girls. Such is life.

Maybe I'll have time to blog tomorrow.

Till next time,


Suzi

Saturday's all right for sleeping...

After a full week of work and walking the dog before 6 am every morning, I decided I'd sleep in this morning. It was nice. I did get up at a not-too-late time to walk Raven, but decided I was just too tired and went back to bed. That, of course, is the time when you have funny dreams. I dreamed I met someone at a park who I thought was the wife of the pastor of one of the Covenant churches we serve in our regional office. But then I realized she didn't spell her name the same way. Where did this dream come from?

Don't remember what else I dreamed, but I finally woke up--Raven had actually been fairly patient. However, once we hit the trail, we encountered dogs on our walk. The nice thing about walking early/in the dark is that either there are no other people/dogs around or it's too dark to make them out. (Of course Raven can still hear/smell them). However, one was out in its yard and Raven and this rather large dog started barking at each other. I hurried Raven along, then I heard some clanging, barking getting closer and closer, and realized the dog had uprooted it's leash stake and was now chasing us from across a busy road.

At this point all I could do was hurry Raven along and try not to get between the two dogs. Finally the loose dog turned around and I heard the clang of the stake or the metal thing that attaches to his collar hit the stop sign post. I didn't hear any cars squealing, and when I finally looked back, I saw the dog back at its front step. Tragedy avoided--this time.

The rest of our walk was fairly uneventful--it was a nice spring morning and people were out riding their bikes. When I got home I read in the paper about a local woman (well, she lived a little ways north of the metro area) who had a shelter for big cats. Her friend found her body in the cage of the tiger--apparently the trap door next to the caged area malfunctioned and the tiger went beserko and killed her. So sad. She was experienced with tigers, too, and very cautious.

I think I'll stick to the canine version of pets, and the domestic canine version at that. And maybe I'll start walking earlier on weekends--I can always come back home to catch some extra zzzzs. Even if I do have weird dreams. Maybe I'll dream that Rory and Dean get back together. Oh, yeah, that's right--now he is Sam on that other show, and Sam's brother is Dean. And if you watch the new Sam and Dean show you might have nightmares. So never mind.

Till next time,


Suzi

Health stuff

I talked to my Dad yesterday, and Mom's got some health concerns they are dealing with. It's nothing at the crisis or panic mode, but it's another sign that we're all getting older and that it really sucks that my parents are 1000+ miles away from us.

As I think back over how my Mom has been so instrumental in my life, two memories of her love and care for me come up. This may be an odd recollection, but I think about how she always had my cereal ready for me every morning before school. I remember putting strawberries or bananas or blueberries on to doctor it up (she had them out too), and I was always able to sleep till just about 30 minutes before the bus came because all I had to do was throw on my clothes, grab my books, and eat the breakfast that was waiting for me. Mom always had a sack lunch ready to go too.

The other memory that keeps replaying is when I was in the hospital when Luke was born. I was in pretty rough shape after a terrible labor which ended up in a C-section delivery anyhow. Luke was fine, but I was dealing with high blood pressure and had 24-hour nursing care, with a NO VISITORS sign on the door. Mom arrived the day after Luke was born, and popped her head into my room. "That sign's not for me, is it?" she asked as she bounded into the room. The nurse said that my blood pressure would probably have been more elevated if she had tried to keep my mom away from me. Mom proceeded to take care of me, my husband, my baby and my house during my recovery period and adjustment to life with our first newborn.

Mom's always been the caregiver--for us kids, and for my dad lately as he deals with his diabetes. Now we may need to lend a hand. I'm really glad Cheri, Pat & Daniel have been there this week as they are all dealing with this new information, and that Roger is still not too far away.

Of course, the Lord is near to us all, and the prayers we pray bring us together in a special bond that even physical distance can't deter.

Till next time,


Suzi

Spring has sprung

I think spring is really here now. The birds are singing their greetings every morning, and even though the mornings are darker when Raven and I walk, I know it's because of Daylight Savings Time and not because we're going back to winter.

Of course, we can still go back to winter--anything's possible in Minnesota even in April--but the likelihood is less and less. I remember a couple of years ago it was 95 degrees F on April 15. Yesterday I was out and about without a coat as the temp soared up to 60. But it certainly has snowed in April in the past, too.

Did anyone else hear that Congress passed and the President signed a law that Daylight Savings Time would begin three weeks earlier in 2007 and end one week later? We'll still "fall back" the last Sunday in Oct. this year. Man, it's hard enough to remember this time change stuff now without getting more mixed up with new dates in the future.

But I guess I won't complain (I already did...) and just enjoy the warming of the earth and the brightening of the sun.

Till next time,


Suzi

Shorter day today...

Since I worked yesterday, I took off early today--actually I was off at 1 pm. I'll probably leave a little early on Friday, too, since we're having our small group over for dinner at 6 pm. I'm supposed to be working to clean up and get ready now, but I stopped at the store on my way home and then I crashed for a little bit. Unfortunately my cell phone rang--wrong number. Someone called for this same person on my cell at work today. Actually this is the phone Mai was using so it is a new number. I'm still using my old cell phone, but with this one I can call my kids and Terry for free--we are sharing a T-Mobile family plan. Alas, Tim isn't on it because he's sticking to his per second billing, which is a steal. My Cingular/ATT plan runs out in another month or so, and then I'll probably switch my old phone number over to the new phone/T-Mobile.

Looks like I'll be at work next Tuesday too. But it will only be for an hour or so. I'm really excited, though, because I'll be meeting with one of my bosses and a web design guy who wants to help me transform the web site. It will stream line things and make me very happy. We just have to convince the Powers That Be.

Well, I should try to get some things done around here. My sister Cheri is livin' it up in Tennessee. Wish I could be there too. Well, Tim and I are going to go away for a weekend to some exotic place within a 100 mile radius or so. I should really make plans soon.

Till next time,


Suzi

Tiring Tuesday

My usual workless day consisted of attending the conference Leadership Forum and driving Terry to an appointment in Anoka then picking up dinner for Terry, myself, Christian (one of Tim's employees) and Tim. I was hoping to attend the Bible study that Terry goes to down the street, but Tim had to work at his mom's and Christian needed a ride back to our house (we met at Terry's house for supper). Anyway, I got home in time to watch the new episode of Gilmore Girls, answer a few emails, and now blog a bit.

The conference was very good. It was on revitalizing your church. About 160 pastors and church leaders attended, and it was good to meet many of them. I send out emails to lots of them with various communications, and some of them expressed appreciation for this. It's always nice to get positive feedback.

The best part was using Tim's camera to take pictures. I could take decent shots from across the room without using a flash. I haven't seen them on the computer yet, but Tim said they turned out well. It is really nice having an idiot proof camera.

I've got to post pictures back here sometime. Maybe after tax season.

As for now, it's off to bed........

Till next time,


Suzi

A sunny Monday

It sure rained a lot this weekend--especially yesterday. Today is Monday, though, so the sun is shining. In between raindrops the Nelson family took a little break from taxes to meet at Fuddruckers. Yesterday was my mother-in-law's birthday, and today is my brother-in-law Greg's birthday as well as his son Adam's 16th birthday. Today Adam is going to take his drivers license test. Christina still has to wait another month or so to take hers, since she took driver's training later than Adam, even though she's been 16 since December. We can all wait. :)

Two more weeks at the tax office! Today I answered the phone Northwest Conference at the Nelson & Assoc. office. Of course it was my mother-in-law on the other end who corrected me immediately. Anyway, I'm pretty sure this is the first time that's happened. As I said, only two more weeks...

My sister blogged about their arrival in Tennessee. I'm glad they arrived safely, because there were some nasty storms down that way. They are now enjoying nice weather and scenery after the storm--you can read all about it.

This is the start of my busy work week--I'm working every day. Tomorrow is a Leadership Forum for the conference, so I need to be there to wear my reporter's hat. It might be a late blog...

Oh, I almost forgot to mention--the last time we were at that particular Fuddruckers was with my mom the night before our son Mark was born. (He was born on Feb. 29, 1988.) Nothing near that monumentous is happening today though. We'll have to get back to Fuddruckers before another 18 years goes by--Mark will be 36 and I will be.....using a walker.

Till next time,

Suzi

Saturday night

Well, it's Saturday night, and it's a nice change from last night when I found myself home alone for a few hours (Tim was doing taxes, kids were out). Tonight 4 guys from church are over to play board games, and I'm working in the kitchen (I'm taking a little blog break now).

It's fun to see these competitive fellows battle things out. And it's nice to serve people who appreciate it (not that my family doesn't, but sometimes it's more of a silent appreciation).

We're springing ahead tonight. I'm hoping for no early morning text messages tomorrow from Tim's cousin Terry. This morning he sent a text to my phone (6:15 am) saying he'd been pulled over by a cop last night coming home from the movies. He let this go on for awhile before he said April Fools. I got him back later, though. When I was out walking Raven I took a picture of Raven doing his business and sent that message to his cell as he was eating breakfast with Tim and some other guys. The funniest part of this was that when I stood up after getting this awesome picture (I'll have to try to figure out how to get it on the computer) the man who had threatened to get his shotgun when Raven was incessantly barking at him a few weeks ago passed just as I finished "shooting" the photo. We said nothing to each other. But in the photo it looks like Raven is looking at the man while doing his thing.

I'm not trying to be crass here--so hope no one is offended. But it seemed pretty funny, and the guys at breakfast with Terry seemed to appreciate the "bathroom" humor.

Besides, it is April Fool's day.

Till next time,


Suzi