Ankeny or Antartica!

This morning greeted me with a whopping -15 degrees. So I donned on heavy socks within my rubber boots and sucked in my breath and went to work. The snow from last night wasn't all cleared from the building entrances and since there was only two other people available and they were on the tractors, I volunteered. I ran out to my car and grabbed my bibs and then a sturdy looking shovel and headed out.

Thankfully, they weren't too bad and I was done in about 45 min. My face feels like a plastic mask when I go outside. I'd better be careful what expression I have on my face when it freezes. My rubber boots sound like high heels on the cement and at least I don't feel my toes most of the time.

I remember fantasizing as a Faith student about how the Faith bubble should really exist for weather purposes. Humidity in the summer...gone! Artic winds in the winter...into balmy breezes. Then you wouldn't have to shovel snow or worry about skirts poofing up in the wind. The other option was tunnels over the walkways. You have the option of going out into the extreme temps and conditions or you could just look at the outside. Sort of like the era/period exhibitions in the museums. Look close and you might just see the primative males out on a hunt in the snow...wait, that is the guys playing full contact football in the snow. There might be an element of fun in that though.

So I will settle into reality and just keep to the inside as much as I can, hold the warm, just-dried laundry close, and listen the heated discussion on Rush about the Abomination cult that is trying to wipe out all the whites in the country. Sort of the parallel to the KKK, in fact, they have contacted the KKK with a proposition to split the states into Black and White states. Humm...I wonder if I will have to move.

Too Cold Outside, So How About Some Chinese?

It is -7 with wind chill factored in today. Tomorrow's forcast is for -32 with wind chill. Can you spell "way ttooo cccooold to gggooo ttto work"? Unfortunately, that bears nothing on my job since I live a 1 minute drive or 5 minute walk to work. Plus, part of my job includes moving snow at entrances and such. So tomorrow I will be wearing my duck bibs that my sweetie made me buy. Brrr...

Since it is cold, I was thinking of hot things and along that mind thought another thoughr came along side. What am I going to make for the youth group international dinner next Saturday? I suddenly was craving sweet'n'sour soup, cashew chicken, crab ragoons, and eggrolls. Ah ha! I wanna make eggrolls. What stirs this craving, you may ask. Well, my dear husband really doesn't care for Chinese or Mediterranean. I have been deprived of it for several months! I can't just go out and eat Chinese on my own. Besides it isn't as fun without a second favoring opinon and just plain company along.

So here is my chance! I am awaiting the recipe. I am so very excited!! Go Ming Dynasty and Greek Isles!!!

Craving Sleep, a Kiss, and the Outside World

So my poor honey has been sick for the last 9 days. I was sick before Christmas and then passed it along and Zach was sick over Christmas! Where is that cure for the common cold anyways? Then the Monday after New Years, he started some unpleasantries in the middle of the night. At first, we thought it was food poisoning and then he got "better" and went to work, then I came down with a fever and aches for a couple of days. Yay!! Me -2 vs Zach -2. Well, then on Friday, he came home with a severely sore throat and ear, went Mercy North Urgent Care and was diagnosed with Strep. That was some interesting news, as I have never had strep and knew little of what to do.

So through the weekend, we worked to get his fever down and I got a stash of easy to swallow foods. I liquid after liquid at him too. Well, his fever broke on Sunday night and stayed down the next morning. I was so very happy and I couldn't wait to come home to a semi-sick hubby instead of a full-blown sicky.

Well, when I got home, we ended up making another urgent care trip and this time the news was more interestin...mono...a full blown case of it! Glory be!! Now what?! We were stumped and pooped out from lack of sleep. We picked up drugs and both skipped dinner to crash into bed at 7 pm. We both slept till about 6am in the morning!! That was very much needed and it was the first night that we have both soundly slept in the last week! In fact, it was so nice and my Monster still ineffective this afternoon, that dinner will be very simple and I am going to drag Zach with me crash at no later than 8 pm tonight!

Now to get him to not go crazy in the apt. since he can't go to work for a week. Maybe since his steroids have helped him feel so much more normal, we can get a game in or something. I'd better be nice and let him win. A big bummer though is that to keep such a contagious virus from spreading, he has been ordered to abstain from exchange of saliva too! We are newly married and we have been ordered against kissing. Now that is a major bummer!!! Maybe if he told that doctor that we have been only married for a month and a half, the doctor would somehow have a better idea. Oh, well.

Zach's steroids, yes, he is on steriods :), helped his swelling to go down a ton and he can breathe better, and talk, and eat normal food. That is a huuuge deal! Now if only it would help snoring... :).

Splash! Crack! Oh, no!!

Last night my sweetie had a case of food poisoning accompanied by all the normal effects thereof. Both of us really didn't sleep last night because of it. This morning, while deciding whether to call in some of my many sick hours to catch up on sleep and be around to help since Zach was taking the day off, I washed my face in the bathroom and then was calling in with my decision.

There was one of our drinking glasses on the sink counter on the side toward the toilet. While on the phone and in some state of a sleep deprived caused fog, I knocked the glass into the toilet. I didn't see it when it happened and my contacts were out. I heard a splash and crack and then I just let out a moan and "oh, no". I started to have a pity party. After a couple of minutes and while I was reaching in for the pieces with a Target bag encased hand and arm, I started to see it as a pretty funny circumstance and since we don't have large numbers of company over all the time or any kids, one less glass wouldn't hurt us.

What a night and morning! Thankfully, my sweetie is feeling a lot better and he still wants to put Christmas away and shop for gifts for our nieces and nephews tonight! So off I go now to hug and bug him. :) I love the wife job, even when I am kept awake most of the night to help him feel better.

Snug as a bug in...a big new bed!!!

All day yesterday and last night I was so very anxious and excited cause our new bed was to come between 4-6. I was really hoping that they would come earlier so that I could make the beds and reset up the rooms to their final order.

I got off work at 4 and then went to work at making sure the pathway was totally clear and the new bedskirt was starched and ironed. About 5 minutes after I finished ironing the bed skirt and a couple of other things that I remembered to do whilst the iron was out, the door resounded with a knock! The bed dude was there!! We told him where to put it, sat back and away and the bed was in and set up in less than 10 min! As soon as they left, I ran into the room and was taken back at how high it was! It is almost half my height, no not almost, but definitely half my height. You have to crawl in or jump!

Zach helped me make the bed and then move the other room around so that we still have the full bed in there for guests, but it is in the corner and the desk is closer to the door and both it and the piano are very much more accessible. There is space in the room. Zach went back to football and let me take over the decor' adjustments.

I put up everything in the office (Zach's John Wayne and Chevy stuff is up too) and now all we have left is to put the master bedroom stuff up tonight, then pics will ensue. I am so excited to be just about fully settled and arranged. Now all we have left is the matching love seat with tax refunds!

I love our bed!!!

Rockefellar Center

There are no lights, or highrise buildings, or golden statue guy with flowing robes, but we do have a rink! Our very own, but we will share!

We went out on New Year's Eve and put our backs into the snow removal. There were about 4-5 inches of snow t0 push away. So we slipped on our skates, grabbed a couple of snow shovels and started working. My back is so very sore now, but it will be worth it all. Tonight, Zach will bring home the water pump and pump a couple of inches of water from the pond onto the rink and let it freeze overnight. It then should form a beautifully smooth and glossy surface. Then my skating talent husband will teach me how to skate better and even how to stop a little shorter than 4 or 5 feet.

Unfortunately, we can't skate till Sunday at the earliest since we are leaving Friday afternoon for South Dakota. We have to pick up a tractor loader for Zach's Dad. So about 9 or 10 hours on Friday, pick it up and then drive back! Yay? At least we will be together.

So if anyone wants to skate come on out and if we have enough people wanting to skate maybe you can help make it even bigger too!

It's Post-Merry Christmas-Miss-You-Honey Day!

Christmas was very different for me this year, good, but different. Here are some of the most obvious reasons:
- I am married!
- I didn't go have Christmas with my immediate family, but went to Orient, Zach's home
- I hit my elbow really, really hard on Christmas Eve and couldn't use it at all for a couple of hours
- Zach and I have some different Christmas traditions and some compromises were made as we develope our own family traditions
- The family Christmas at Orient with the Saylors and Zellwegers was dif than usual cause two families went to the in-laws for Christmas
- The family at whose house we visited had about 5 little dogs running around all the time. There is a firm "no animals in the house" rule enforced at the Saylor and Saylor and Swope home (though the latter has been getting lax about the rule).

On Christmas Eve, Zach worked on his new truck stereo (merry Christmas, Sweetheart) to get it working by 5pm. Then for the next few hours before 5, we opened a new gift every hour. We draw names in our families, so here's what I got:
- From my bro, Michael: The "together" Willowtree carving (a couple one). I am collecting them.
- From my parents: A cute little snowman lamp with candles (I love snowmen).
- From my in-laws: a Carhart coat (I went to exchange for a smaller size and will have to wait till mid-January, but I needed a work coat and am very excited).
- From the love of my life: ice skates and roller blades, the two activites that he really likes and I know he will do with me. In my stocking, he got me a bluetooth earpiece to go with my phone. I have wanted one for a long time and it was half the price when we opened our new phone account!!

So we are going to clear off the Faith Pond tomorrow after the snow and go skating together. I can't wait!!! Then summer time we can blade on the new path in Ankeny!

It was good to get to know more relatives, but everyone seemed to just want to sit and talk. We played one game and then did a little gift exchange. I came home with a really neat porceline Christmas village set with all the little houses and people. Poor Zach got a worn out wrench, an old; howbeit, washed and non-holey pair of work socks, and a NRA hat. I was able to help out with planning the one for next year. We are going to give gifts of anykind, but that have to do with any Christmas carol or song. For example: my little Christmas town could have gone with "O Little Town of Bethlehem" or "Away In the Manger" could be a box of hay with Baby Ruth or Sugar Baby in the middle. People, well the women that is, were getting excited and having all these good ideas.

My dearest husband had developed a cold on the Sunday before Christmas and he is still getting over it. He was all drugged up and tired on Christmas so we left when most everything died down. We were loaded down with sweets and food that we are giving half at least away since there are only two of us and we really don't need all those sweets. We got home about 5pm and then we were pathetically just sitting on the couch tiredly pondering what to do to bide time till bed time. We started a movie and I fell asleep. After my nap and his just sitting back, we both were starving and after devouring leftover Olive Garden (thanks to wedding gifts) we were both wide awake for the next couple hours. We still crashed at about 9:30, but it was all good. It was a wonderful weekend and between church family and home family, we were able to rejoice of Christ's birth all together for another year!

Right now I am putting in a couple of hours at work washing laundry and little stuff to catch up over the weekend. Tomorrow I get to start shampooing and more shampooing of offices, but it is all overtime. Yay! Plus, it helps the time go by whilst Zach is working and I can't be with him!