The point is this!

HE LAUGHED! He really did! Dave and I were discussing how to organize Jonah's slowly growing piles of way too many of everything. I was holding the wee one and all of a sudden we hear uh huh huh hu huuuu. And that was that! Kind of a Beevis and Butthead kind of laugh, but I'll take what I can get! We tried to get him to chuckle or the rest of the morning, but all he would give us was a Uhhhh or a uh huhhhh. Still very cute in it's own regard.
Oh, Dave and his mom got in a fight this morning. It's kind of hard for him because he doesn't like being the parent in their relationship. She always calls just to talk about the problems that she is having and the money she doesn't have. Today she called and told him that she didn't like the way that I said goodbye to her the other day. Can you believe it?! She said I was being rude saying good bye. And you would think that after Dave said, "Sorry, mom. I was there and I know she didn't mean it that way" that she would be understanding and go on to her next sob story. NO! She continued to fight with him about it for about a half hour. I couldn't believe it. She then continued to tell him that we think they're better than them and we're prideful people and she didn't like spending time with us. WHHHAAAAAT?! The lady has gone coo coo. Never once have we been prideful or thought that we were better than them. Ugh! We do all we can for them and it still isn't enough. We buy her groceries, we lend her money when she needs it, we bought her a TV bigger than ours for her because we thought she didn't have a TV only to find out she's got 3 or 4 TV's Bigger than the one we got her. Her excuse, "Oh, well they don't have that great of a picture. We try to help her with her problems, which has obviously not helped at all. I know that her saying she thinks we're prideful and that she thinks we think we're better than them is because she is ashamed of how she is living. C'mon. A mother needing her son to take care of her when she is completely capable to do everything herself - that is wrong and a half. When we don't have any money to gie to her she goes and gets a job. When she gets all the money she needs she quits. Ugh. Now she's trying to get support from the government. I don't want it to happen, but I think it might because she can talk her way into anything. I mean sure, I love the lady and all, but at 42 or so, I think it's finally time for her to grow up!


OH! Some of the women on UC's Rowing team (of which I am a member - not currently, but come January when Winter quarter beings) have filed a lawsuit against the university mainly on account of not having a boathouse. They are also complaining of unfair treatment based on not enough equiptment, staff, trainers, gear to wear and scholarship money. I will now give my opinion on the matter (so official, right?)

not enough equiptment - Regarding the vans to allow us to travel to practice, honestly I think we need a school bus to fit everyone. I also think that even if we had enough room for all the girls to fit, a lot of them would still drive to practice! I know that when I was able to drive I wanted to because getting in the van was much more of a hastle than driving myself. I would have to drive to campus, find a parking spot and then run and try to catch the van on time. That equals a hastle. Regarding actual equiptment to use at practice, I think we need more and better quality things. I think we don't have some things like a couple extra motors on account of the men's team dropping them into the river the year before last. C'mon guys, those were our best engines! I think we need a fewmore smaller boats for personal pregression. Tim (the old coach) was kind enough to buy a few pairs for us to work on our technique, but now that he is gone we do not have boats such as those. I also think that we need more than one 8pc set of nice oars. We need better boats than hand me downs from other teams.

Staff - I think the amount of staff we have is okay. I mean sure we could use a couple extra hands, but do we need an assistant coach or could some of the members of the team be helping with the rigamorole that takes so long for the coaches to do. I think that the team captains should help with the tasks like booking hotel rooms, ordering supplies, yadda yadda. THAT would get ride of the need for a second assistant.

Trainers - YES. We need a trainer. Is stinks that we don't get the personal attention like the other sports do, but my thinking is that we aren't a contact sport with considerably less injuries. I think that if the schoolcan't afford to have a new trainer and would rather spend the money on the boathouse, then so be it.

Gear - Frankly, this is a load of crap. Okay, so we had a couple races with out racing gear. Of course I wasn't there, but it's hard for me to give sympathy. I think it was 4 or 5 races we had this fall and a couple of them were scrimmages. I think that because this wasn't our big season, and this past season was the big one for a lot of other sports, the focus wasn't on us, which is okay. I can understand the complaining if we dont have gear by our big season which is spring. Also, I know that another reason why we don't have a lot of gear is because we have a new coach. C'mon people. She's only got two hands! She can't get new equiptment, new gear, find a site for the boathouse, a new assistant, meet and coach a new team, meet new co-workers without missing out on something. Again I think this is something some of the team members could help out with. Oh, I just remember. Pam, new coach, is apparently having troubles treating the girls like children. Maybe she would have a problem delegating tasks for team members to do. I guess you never know until you try!

Scholarship money - I worked at the Athletic Development office over the summer. At the office, I saw that the womens rowing team is the heaviest funded women's team on campus. We have, I think it said 15 or so full scholarships. We were on the top of the list for womens sports. Compaired to the men's scholarship, that is a different story. You have to also consider the fact that Men's sports rake in a ton more money than female sports! Does that suck for girls? Of course, it does! But should the university not give money back to the football team that they are raking in for the university? Of course not! The only way for the Football team to keep making money is to keep giving them money! The fans wouldn't have it any onther way. They want good concessions, they want comfortable seats with a good view of the field. To not give them what they pay for is a waste of their money. They wouldn't come if the university did not heavily fund the football and basketball stadiums. Now, Baseball is a different story. Not too many people come to the baseball games. Perhaps the new stadium was a plea to get some fans to come.

Boathouse - I agree, WE NEED A BOATHOUSE! When I was being recruited in the spring of '02 I was told the boathouse would be finished that coming Fall and it wasn't. The date kept being pushed back and back and here we are today STILL looking. I think most of the problems stem from not having a place to put the boathouse or being denied or kicked off spots that were once promised to us. Is that our fault? Kind of, but is it the universities fault? Kind of. Is it just naturally complicated, YES! I think that the university need to get on the ball. Maybe if more money is offered to the owners of site then we would get what we wanted I think they should take more of an active role in looking for a site instead of leaving it all mostly up to Pam. I also think a lot of time was wasted in the past.

Okay, now I want to go do something productive while the little one is sleeping!

So, the point to this is...?

Well, we are down to one half of a vehicle and even it isn't lookin good. We haven't gotten new tires in a while and they haven't been rotated I think even once since I've had the dang thing - oops. I know very little about cars and even less before Dave and I got hitched. The tires slip even in the littlest amount of rain. I can't imagine what it'll do in the snow! So, with the baby and my hospital bills we practically depleted our savings account. Dave waited to tell me that interest wasn't charged on medical bills. I think paying them off slowly would have been better, but then again I hate thinking that I owe someone money. I don't think I could have waited to pay them off unless I just didn't have the money.

Right after we paid off all of our bills and our tithing that we had missed for 10 weeks, were going to try to build back our savings, the car has broken down. The head gasket was blown. As a result the timing belt broke and the thermostat exploded. The mechanic was going to replace the engine, but now he is just going to replace all the broken parts. Great! My thinking is that as soon as he replaces that and he replaces it, some other part is going to fail and the whole thing will happen all over again. What fun that will be. I want to ask for a gaurantee from the mechanic so that if the car fails then we can get it fixed for free because he lied about the gauantee, but it's just a poor guy livin deep in the heart of KY. I can be too complicated with him and go asking for a gaurantee, he might not know what that word means. Okay, that was mean!


I really enjoyed Sis. Tecklenbergs talk given this past Sunday. She shared a story about kind of the same situation we are in now. She had a child with massive medical bills and as soon as they paid them off, she tried her dangdest to try and beef up their savings account. She took in sewing, odd jobs, bargain shopped like never before, and hung her clothes out to dry to save on energy costs just to try to make some extra money. Towards the end of fall she had made $2,500. And then right when she thought thinds were going well, she found out that their heating system in their home needed replacement. It was so dangerous that if they turned it on it could possibly set the house on fire. She was so depressed because she had worked so hard just to have savings, but she knew they couldn't go throughout the winter without the furnace. As she cried about the situation, her husband hugged her and said, "You're looking at this all wrong! The Lord held on to that old furnace to wait until we had enough money to pay to have it fixed. This is truly a blessing!" I was really touched by her story. I know that we will have enough money to get us through. Perhaps this is a lesson on not wasting. We have ben buying more than usual on account of me being at home and we're also used to me having an income. A definate shock to the bank account!

Oh. We believe Little Jonah is going through a growth spurt. He is eating 7 ozs every hour or so and crying all the time. What fun. I also think he is teething - even more fun! My niece started cutting teeth at 6 weeks, so it is very possible for this wee one. Dave and I definately want to wait on the whole 'another baby' thing. The crying one is stressing us out a bit. The only thing to stop his crying is to hold him upright facing outward in front of the TV. Yes. He already is hooked to the idiot box. Man. Aren't kids fun! I can't wait till he actually has a personality. I don't think he really knows who we are quite yet. I think he recognizes us, but I don't think he understands "oh, these are the people who give me what I want!" There is a four month old in our ward that I have been paying close attention to. He rolled over this past week, so I have 4 weeks to walk into the other room to get something I need with out having to move him to the floor. The 4 mth old is also now hold his own bottle - kind of. SO, 4 weeks til I can eat while he's eating too and I don't have to wait 'til he's asleep to stuff my face. The 4 mth old is cuddling his mom and loving on her. Atleast 4 weeks 'til he realizes I am the one who loves him the most - well, me and dad... but mostly me! (Dave doesn't really use the computer so he won't read this, nor will he have the opportunity to disagree!)

Well this is the time where I fall asleep dreaming of when I was skinny and wondering if I should just throw away my skinny pants ( I am tired of my mommy tummy is you can't tell. ) Good night.

You TURKEY!

SO now that we're pretty much down to half of a vehicle since the truck is pretty much useless (an A to B kind of car), we'll be hitching a ride to Thanksgiving. Luckily my family only lives about 50 minutes away. My mom offered to pick us up and take us home Friday morning. Thank you momz! The only problem is my dad and his side of the family. I have to figure out some way to arrange a ride to his house that 45 minutes from my moms and then BACK to my moms house! I would like to go and visit, so I hope the ride works out.

The first snow of the year was today. I walked out to go workout and I had no IDEA! Man! I waited a little too long to get the "Jonah's first snow" picture so most of the snow is way melted, but the point is, I tried!

So Dave and I are making Buckeyes tonight and some kind of yummy side to take with us to mom's house. I can't wait to see my mom. It's been too long. She can't wait to see little Jonah man. I am excited for her because he has gotten really fun recently. All he is is smiles and coos. Wonderful! He hasn't cried much recently. I guess that's a sign of a healthy happy baby boy! Alright, well I'm off to feed and bathe the wee one!

Man O Man

We have had an interesting week! Well about a week or so ago, Dave's younger brother, Josh (the bad seed), stole their moms car in the middle of the night and wrecked it not once, but twice. After hitting a parked car that was about 30 ft from the road, he tried to drive back to his moms house. While turning onto her street he took the turn too tight and landed in the creek. His is possibly the WORST driver I think I have ever heard of. Not only was he completely sober, but he did the very same thing to one of his friends cars not even a month ago! Their mom pressed charges on Josh, but we heard yesterday that they're going to let him out in about a week! This kid is a convicted felon a couple times over (and he's only 21), and he still doesn't get put away for longer than a month! What's wrong with Kentucky's justice system!

Anyways, last Thursday I noticed there was something wrong with the car. It kept on vibrating all weird and having jolts it's not used to having. Yesterday we were on our way to fix the car at Dave's dads house. And wouldn't you believe it, the car just stopped running in the middle of the highway in Kentucky! It just stopped , so we were just rolling along until I got over onto the emergency lane. We notcied the engine was smoking, and we could smell something burning - GREAT! Dave got out and checked under the hood. He was sure the engine was blown. He called his dad who told us to wait 15 minutes and try the car again, so we did. Fifteen minutes later, nothing, of course. Just the whine of the ignition and the cars and trucks whzzing by right outside my window -- oh and the baby trying to take a nap through all of this. After about a half hour we asked his dad if he would come to get us and he told us No, because - GET THIS - The Cable Guy was going to be coming at any time! HA! So we called his mom's house and cell phone - no one answered. And then wouldn't you know it, our cell phone died! So we had to do what we had to do and WALK. That's right. We were headed for anywhere, just as long as they had a phone! A mile was never as long as it was carrying a chubby baby, a diaper bag, a winter coat and a husband while everyone in their wonderfully working cars flying past us without even a glance.
Luckily enough, just about the time we were at the Waffle House of the Erlanger exit, a great guy stopped and asked if we needed a ride. He said he had seen us walking on the highway and decdied the second time he saw us he would help. Thanks guy with the crazy teeth! We truly do appreciate it! So he dropped us off at Dave's sister work - Linen's N Things. We spent the rest of the day at his moms house listening to her fuss about needing a new car and how could her son do this to her, and she doesn't have the money to buy groceries, but she's got it to buy cable and Little Debbies. Oh, the in-laws. You'd think my family wouldn't be as bad as his, THINK AGAIN! Oh, man.

Little tidbits - My dad just found out that he's a Type 2 diabetic. He said, "But you probably won't get it 'til you're about 40." Thanks, Dad. He says, "Don't thank me, Thank your ancestors!"

My step-sister Tammi was 4-wheeling in Arkansas, I think, and they got in an accident, so she was in the hospital for a while with a broken neck, broken ribs, bruised lungs, and a couple other things that make me say "Ew..."

I went wedding dress shoping with my sister Dana. That was way fun! Except never go to the wedding dress shop in Reading that claims to have 4,000 dresses. They are EVIL! Evil I tell you! They won't even look at you unless you come in with an entourage and money falling out of your pockets. Thanks for making our Saturday not as fun as it should have been!

Jonah slept from about 1 am til about 8 am. Talk about FINALLY! I got roughly 6 1/2 hours, and interestingly enough, I am STILL tired! What kind of mom am I that I can't live off of 6 1/2 hours?!

Rowing starts in about 1 month for me. Am I scared? YES! I haven't been on a consistent work out regime in almost 9 months on account of the hip injury last winter. I am redshirting Spring Quarter. I am so glad, therefore I don't have to be at every practice, but I am still on scholarship and I have tons more time to get into shape before I have to race, which now won't be until next fall - YES! Jo will be a year old by then!

Alrighty. Now I have to decide whether I should clean, nap, or continue playing on the computer. While I'm at it, I'll add a cute picture of the handsome babe!

pictures

Grandma and Elvis at her suprise 80th!!!

thats a fun one

little boy Jo

Our little boy Jo, he is so wonderful!
Jonah started smiling recently. He is so precious when he smiles -- well, he always is, but especially when he smiles! I will never forget the first time he smiled back at me, when he recognized my face, when he knew who mom was. Oh, so fulfilling! he beginging to sleep mostly at night... But of course he wakes up to eat a couple times. The longest he has ever slept is 8 hours, but it was from 7:30 to 3:30 and what parent in their right mind goes to bed at 7:30? When he goes down at night, it's the first and only personal time I get for the day! I'm taking it for all it's worth! That is, of course, until Dave (dad) gets home at 9:30. All and all we normally got to bed around 11 or 12 after Jo wakes up the first time to eat. He then wakes up again aroun 4:30 and then again at 6:30. I don't get a lot of sleep, but I will definately sacrifce sleep for personal time, as long as it's not more than a few hours of sleep, because that's pushing it.

I've been doing my workouts. I like that the gym has cable. It's interesting, though, because I have to work out with Jonah strapped to my chest. I don't have to, but that's the only way to keep him entirely happy. He normally passes out about 10 minutes into the workout, which is good. I guess he loves the monotony of the Oliptical - and who doesn't?! Speaking of the gym, I'm going to upload some pictures and head there to get it over with for the day.