It's Official!

Today I went to pick up the keys to our new home! Can you believe it? It was not the happy moment I thought it would be - Joshua is out of town for the weekend and we aren't actually moving in until next weekend. This on top of starting school on Tuesday ... But I suppose that's fitting since it isn't the home I had been hoping for either. :) If only it looked more like this house...

Back to School Fun

I know it's hard to believe, but summer is quickly coming to and end and the new school year is upon us! I have been working like a mad woman to get my classroom all ready for my students. As hard as it is to start over with a classroom, I have enjoyed making it my own. Tonight was the back to school picnic - a fun, family event where everyone can get to know each other. The children had fun exploring our room and I had a wonderful time getting to know the families. We have more school supplies than I know what to do with and promises of parent helpers like you wouldn't believe! The staff at my new school are amazing as well. I feel like we've been friends for years! This is going to be such a wonderful year!

Our First House!

It's close to official. By Thursday of next week (one week away) we should be signing the escrow papers closing the deal. It's not exactly what we had in mind for a first home, but it is a stepping stone to better things to come. For the same money we could've purchased twice the home on half the land further out in the sticks. But as Erin always said, "It's better to buy the cheapest home in the best neighborhood rather than the biggest home in the worst neighborhood. And in the 98335 Zip code there are no bad neighborhoods. (okay, maybe there could be, but I'd still feel comfortable leaving the keys in my car.)

The home is just over 1,000 square feet with a one car garage. The garage is mostly finished so we can use it for living space.

The floors are real wood (I don't know the kind of wood, I'd like to say oak) throughout the dining, kitchen and hallways of the house. It's three bedrooms and one bathroom, and sits on 2/3rds of an acre. Our kids can ride their bikes to the second best elementary school in Gig Harbor, or if Erin still works at Lighthouse Christian School, they can go to the first best elementary school.

The living room is small but we have big plans to make it our reading room by installing some custom shelves beside and above the fireplace.

So many places to put our personal touch in this house and outside. The yard has some work to do to make it beautiful.

This is my first time going through the home buying process and it's confusing, frustrating, and quite stressful at all times. I'm sure many of you know how much Erin hates to pack and move; with that and Erin starting a new school year, life at home requires a little more patience than we've been giving it.

All in all, I'm excited for the new home. Finally something I can call mine and do whatever I want to with it. And with so much land I can build that garden I've been wanting, and composting center, and...

No News is Good News

I know everyone reading out there in Blogger world is desperate to know what we've been up to lately, so this post is just for you!
Summer is winding down so quickly - I only have two days left at the zoo! I've already spent a couple of days working in my new classroom. Joshua has been keeping busy with his work too. The rest of our time has been spent house hunting. We have an offer on a house in Gig Harbor and are awaiting the seller's response to our post-inspection adjustments. Don't worry, we'll tell you more once we know if it's ours. Joshua had inspired a new "toxic free" lifestyle which includes taking vitamins made only from plant sources, eliminating Sweet n Low ( I never thought I'd see the day...), and eating a low glycemic diet. If you'd like to more about it, ask him - he'd love to talk to you! We joined the new YMCA in Gig Harbor to continue our new healthy lifestyle, but it doesn't open until the 21st. We are looking forward to Zumba and ballroom dance classes!
Other than that, it's life as usual for us. Hope you enjoyed the update.

Trip to California

While Erin is reading about the last adventures of Harry Potter, I thought I'd catch you up on what we did last week.

It was our first trip back to California after moving to the green state of Washington. And sad to say, we didn't really miss our old home. We, of course, missed all our family. Which one-by-one, we'll get to move up to Washington with us.

Erin's cousin Alex and Grandma came to visit California too, from Albuquerque. It's always fun to spend time with them. Erin's dad brought us all to Knott's Berry Farm and Disneyland, and do a whole lot of swimming with goggles.

Disneyland has been taken over by Pirates this year. Tom Sawyer's Island is now the Pirates Lair. With captain Jack sparrow signing autographs at one end and performing a stunt show on the other. You can search for lost treasure, or get captured by a primitive tribe, like us. The submarine ride was open, but with a two plus hour wait in line, we decided to pass on that adventure.

Erin's mom is always a delight, so much of Erin's humor is in her. I missed her a lot too. Jackie wanted us to have a late Breakfast together at a restaurant we don't have in Washington. I suggested BC Cafe for their great pancakes. But Jackie said that they have cockroaches and vetoed the vote in favor of Mimi's Cafe. Three days later, I had my BC Cafe pancakes. (They had an "A" rating on the window)

Maybe one of these days we can leave without mom getting a tear in her eye. Perhaps it'll be the day when she leaves with us.

For many more pictures of our trip visit our Web Album Page

Spa Day at Seacliff

The first week of summer when the kids were all out of school, the Mason gals and I decided to go out for pedicures. After balancing the budget, we all decided to change plans. A picnic at the beach sounded much more reasonable. Joshua used to attend a "Vino Night" where the host kept a journal handy each week for guests to write whatever they wanted. He bought us our own journal for writing out thoughts and feelings. Here is Marisa compsing her entry for the day.

The day was slightly cooler than we had hoped, but nothing a long sleeved shirt couldn't fix. We enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch of bagel sanwiches that stuck to our teeth, chips, drinks, and cookies for dessert.

Since the original plan was to get pedicures, I found an at-home version at Big Lots. For just $1, each gal got sandals and foot-shaped brushes with pumice on one end. I threw in a set of clippers, scissors, files, and paint and here is the result! Now we need to schedule a day for manicures ...

Zoo Day!

A few weeks ago the Muellers came for a visit. The highlight of their trip (for me anyway) was a day at the zoo where I work. This is a beautiful picture of the entrance with majestic Mount Rainier in the background.








William was in charge of reading the map ... no wonder we got so lost! Ok, we didn't get lost at all since we had such a well informed tour guide. :)
William enjoyed feeding the goats almost as much as I did. Isn't the zoo fun?
This was not from the zoo, but I didn't seem to get any pictures of Mackenzie there. She loved watching all the animals! Here she is with something else she loves ... shoes! Hers, yours, left, right, it matters not to this little one.

The Third Time is the Charm

We were scheduled to leave Seattle at 7:20pm Tuesday night, and we happened to arrive rather early (around 5:30) since traffic was lighter than expected. So, we checked out the shops, then sat and read our books for a while. When our plane arrived, it was having mechanical difficulties, so we had to wait for another plane to arrive, making our new departure time 9:10. Argg. So went back to the shops, played soduko on the computer, took the train to the other gates, walked around there, and returned to find out that now our plane had a failed circuit breaker. Not to worry, there was another plane on the way and we would be leaving at 10:30. Yikes! Surprisingly, all passengers seemed to be in good spirits about the delay. Nobody wants to fly on a plane with angry people! We finally arrived safely with coupons for $25 off our next flight at 1:20am. Good thing we weren't flying out on a connecting flight!

For my Mom

A few blocks from our house is Point Defiance Park where there is an amazing rose garden. Mom asked for a picture of the most perfect rose we could find, so here it is in her favorite color, yellow! And just for fun, here I am next to my favorite color, pink. Last, but certainly not leasr is a beautiful hydrangea. They are in full bloom all over this great state. One of my favorite plants (not pictured) is an amazing blue hydrangea at the zoo.

Family Portraits

In June our family had portraits taken, since everyone was here for my niece Madison's graduation from High School
Only my brother-in-law is missing from this picture because of sickness.
Top Row: Dad, Mom
Middle Row: Debbie with Mackenzie, Walter, Mike, Mary, Pattie, Me, Erin, Joe
Bottom Row: William, Marisa, Austin, Chandler, Madison, Mavric, Richie, Blake, Spencer
Below is a picture of our family from the late 70's. I'm the sailor. Boy, have we grown. Hey, Dad, I have your tie now.
Finally is a picture just of the guys. My dad, brother, and myself.

Another fun-filled day!

Yesterday morning I had to go to Renton (almost to Seattle) to have my fingerprints taken for my teaching certificate. Joshua and I both thought traffic would be a nightmare, so he came with me to make use of the carpool lane. We left extra early and surprise surprise - no traffic at all! So we spent our hour at Starbucks enjoying the coffee, listening to the sentence-long descriptions of other people's coffee, and our library books. Aside from having to go to one office to fill out an application, another to pay, and then back down to the first for the actual printing, all went well at Education Department. It's so much nicer these days having it computerized - no black fingertips! When I go off work, I went to pick up Joshua (yes, his car is STILL in the shop) and we drove around looking at houses for sale before heading home. Then, our usual walk through the park followed dinner. Mount Rainier was quite a site! We tried taking a picture, but our camera just isn't fancy enough to capture the contrast of the mountain and the sky. For our evening entertainment, Joshua made some iced tea which we sipped out on the balcony while listening to records (do you remember what those are?) and playing Cribbage. Just as the sun was about to set (around 9:15 in these parts) we were invited to join the Mason family for some ice cream since they were in our neighborhood. We shared a dark chocolate ice cream with brownie and peanut butter mixed in ... delish! You've got to love the long days of summer. :)

Dinner fit for a ... 5 year old!

Tonight for dinner, Joshua and I had a feast of Fluffernutters (his crunchy and mine creamy), grapes, and to round it off a glass of milk. I had planned to make lasagna, but after a long day and two hungry tummies upon walking through the door, we found something a little faster.
Our fun day started with a new church, Journeys in North Tacoma. Joshua knew two couples already! Then we headed out to Federal Way for a very special treat ... Del Taco!!! We both had our favorite chicken tacos but they just weren't the same as those in our memories. We actually made the trip all the way out there to go to the Super Mall in Auburn. It reminds me of a fancy Ontario Mills (for the California readers) only with much better stores. I got some new duds for the school year and we enjoyed the window shopping too. Joshua had an inkling to go spend the afternoon in Seattle. Lots of other people apparently had the same idea, so free parking was impossible to find. Instead, we enjoyed the city from the car! We drove past the troll under the bridge, the Space Needle, Experience Music Project, and the beautiful waterfront with a handful of cruise ships ready for new adventures. If anyone comes to visit and wants to explore Seattle, we promise we'll park the car and show you all around! Summer is just getting started, so think about it, will ya?

Father's Day (still in the negative)

Well, another Father's day passed that I have to celebrate somebody else. Still in the negative, maybe next year will be father's day #1 for me or at least -1. But for now it seems like negative infinity. All my side of the family is in town because our oldest neice graduated from High School on the holiday. We started off by making breakfast at my dad's house for half the family. On the menu was homemade hashbrowns, thick butcher-cut bacon, scrambled eggs and french toast stuffed with cream cheese and marmalade (from famous Mimi's Pain Purdue). After breakfast there was another extreme low tide so Erin and I went trekking down the beach with our nephew William to share with him the excitement of the deep. But he must have some of the past Erin's timidity because he wasn't too sure about seeing all the creatures.

 

It's fun being able to see my family again. It was eight years ago when I moved away from this region, and mostly out of their lives. It is funny to run into all the old familiar faces so often now. My sister Mary, 13 years my senior, used to be always at my side as I was little. She has a son, Mavric, who is about 10, that exibits a lot of the same behaviors as myself. I jokingly said that it is because we were raised by the same woman. Mary's older daughter, Marisa, has spent some time lately with Erin and has discovered that she too exhibits behaviors of Mary. So all this time I thought I had made a mistake and not married my mom, I was just comparing to the wrong woman!

Low Tide Fun!

Washington has been having extreme low tides recently, so we decided to venture out and see some wild life first hand. We went right out in Joshua's parents' backyard and oh the things we got to see!
Here is a giant pink sea star. He was missing one arm, but we wanted it to look nice for the picture. Don't worry, sea stars can regenerate their arms.
Next, we came across a field of sand dollars. I have never seen so many in my life! There must have been over a hundred in a 2 foot section of sand. This one had his spines moving like crazy (you can kind of see them glistening in the picture.) Joshua found this salad-loving oyster too. These are not native to this area - they were brought here from Japan. If you find a shell on the beach, don't keep it! The young oysters attach to the empty shells.
This collection of pieces tell a bit about a moon snail. They have shells like the one pictured and eat bivalves by drilling a hole in the shell. Check out the clam shell in the picture! The most interesting thing about a moon snail is the way it protects its eggs. It buries them in the sand and then secretes a glue-like substance in the sand around the eggs creating a protective collar. You can pick it up and hold it and it won't fall apart! Weird!

We saw more crabs on the beach than we could count, but this was the biggest out of the water. This is a red rock crab and they, like other crabs, molt when they outgrow their exoskeleton. Even the eyes and gills are left behind! Many people mistake the molts for dead crabs, but not any uahardwick.com readers!

And here we have a cool eel-like fish called a gunnel. I don't know much about these guys other than that they live in very shallow water and look like a cross between an eel and a worm.

As we got closer to the bridge, the sea life exploded! Here you can see about a half dozen ochre stars. This was the best shot we could get since most of the stars we saw were in a couple feet of water. There were tons of purple and orange ochre stars, and even a few blue mottled stars (those are the ones with the long arms that stay almost uniform in width.)

Here's an ochre star up close. Do you know how these guys eat? They use their tube feet to pry open shells like mussels and clams, then spit out their stomach and digest the creature in its own shell! Once it's all soupy, the star slurps everything back in. Even more strange, when sea stars die, they don't realize it. Their stomach comes out though and they figure out the bad news when they can no longer eat. Bizarre!

Don't these anemones look like slimy bell peppers? They hold water inside their bodies to keep from drying out during a low tide. That's why they squirt if you poke them. But don't do that! Then they will dry out and die. Don't be a sea creature killer. You can see some of the open anemones under the water as well as more stars. Funny they're so close - those purple stars like to eat anemones!

This is one of the posts of the Purdy bridge. It is just covered with these green anemones! They can actually clone themselves by splitting in half, which is why they all look so similar. If they were open you would see their beautiful pink tips. They feel sticky to the touch, which is actually a sting, but our skin is too tough for the sting to penetrate.

Last, but certainly not least, here is why the beach along this section is called the Spit - geoducks! Pronounced "gooey-duck", these clam-like creatures spit up to 3 feet of water! They can't fit this long neck (pictured) into their shell, so their best defense is to bury themselves in the sand. This neck of theirs can stretch up to 39" to the surface! Also very interesting. geoducks can live up to 160 years! Strange!

We had such a fun day exploring the outdoors, it was one of my favorite days ever! If you know me (at all) you know that I am an indoor girl and under normal circumstances, avoid wildlife at all costs. But you forget dear readers that I am now a zoo employee and spend many days monitoring the touch tanks which contain almost all of the above mentioned creatures. Knowledge of these strange critters had erased the fear and made me a fan of low tide days!

I've got a new job!

Working in Washington has been very strange for me. I started out grading writing tests for eight hours a day - the pay was ok and it was full time, but WOW was it ever boring. Then I started teaching at Sylvan which I love! I am subbing for another teacher two days a week and teach my own groups two days a week. The kids are fun and the staff is awesome. Unfortunately, it is very part time and the hours are awkward. Finally, I have been having a blast working at the zoo. I get to work weekdays and a few Saturdays here and there and I love it! Three jobs, however, are just not enough for me ... so... I accepted a first grade teaching position at Lighthouse Christian School! I start the last week of August, so I get to continue with Sylvan and the zoo until then. I didn't expect to go back into the classroom, but this job seems to be the perfect fit. I am going in next Friday to observe the teachers in action and hang out with the little ones on Field Day. I think this will be my last "new job" post for quite a while!!

Random happenings at new home

None of these items are related but had me thinking, "I'm blogging this."

Erin's Index finger:
Erin was playing with Six (the cat) tonight and brushed her finger by his tooth cutting it. And for the rest of the night she's keeping her finger pointed. It prompted me to make jokes like, "Who's the handsomest man in the world?" "Where do you want to go next?" and "Are you staying alive?" (*see below) Obviously all very funny.

La Costa Mexican Restaurant:
On Cinco de Mayo Erin and I wanted to find a Mexican restaurant to celebrate the non-American holiday. Without too many options to choose from, most restaurants were already packed. So we ventured to downtown Tacoma to try the Mexican fare. I pass this particular restaurant on the way to work. When we entered we weren't terribly sure why, but it felt like the kind of place where the men are men and so are the women.

Dancing Excercise Lady
Outside our balcony every morning, on the street there is a lady that walks with her dog while she listens to her IPOD. Not only does she listen, but she sings along. Mostly they're top 40 hits. As she walks she stretches her arms every direction, almost making it look like she's dancing down the sidewalk. Her dog, a golden retriever, has a leash on but the woman doesn't cary it; the dog does, in it's mouth.

That's all for now. Talk to you next time.

*When dancing to the Bee Gees' song "Stayin' Alive" you point your finger up and down.

Decorating Home

Our apartment complex is having a beautification contest for the summer. On a monthly basis those who have the best looking arrangement of flowers gets a discount on their rent.

So to step up to the competition, and to help cure Erin's notorious self-proclaimed 'black thumb', we invited my mom over to give us some pointers.

We made two stops, first at K-Mart and then Tacoma Boys fresh produce to make our purchases.

As you can see a rainbow joined us for the afternoon.

Below is one of our fuchsias.

No, Erin's head didn't shrink. That is a giant strawberry that we found at Tacoma Boys. They are just as juicy and sweet as they are big.

The 100th Post!

As a tradition among our friends, when you reach the 100th post you must include 100 things that few people know about you.

So, we are going to include 33 items about Us, 33 items about Joshua, 33 items about Erin, and 1 about Six (the cat)

1. Jason Jones (a mutual friend from church) helped to start our dating relationship.
2. On many of our dates, we rode Hoot, Joshua's motorcycle.
3. We dated for 3 1/2 months before getting engaged.
4. Joshua proposed on the ferry from Bremerton to Seattle.
5. A little girl was dancing and singing saying "It's windy, it's windy" the whole time.
6. Joshua's family had an impromptu engagement party when we got back to the house.
7. We got married 3 1/2 months after getting engaged.
8. Our anniversary is 8 days after Erin's birthday and 9 days before Joshua's birthday.
9. Yes, we planned it that way.
10. We "inherited" our apartment from another couple who had "inherited" it from another couple who had "inherited" it from another couple, and were paid $100 for selling the "inherited" garage door opener.
11. We do not know who moved into the apartment after us.
12. Most of our furniture was also "inherited".
13. While living in Orange, CA we were only 4 miles from Disneyland.
14. We could hear/see the fireworks from our apartment.
15. Our favorite Saturday night swing dancing spot was Disneyland's Carnation Plaza.
16. We moved to Tacoma, WA just two months ago.
17. We like to go for walks in our neighborhood.
18. We rent our movies from the library.
19. We never close the blinds in our family room - the view is too great!
20. San Diego is one of our favorite vacation spots.
21. Our favorite way to book hotel rooms is Priceline. Cheap prices and we've never been disappointed.
22. We have 10 nieces and nephews and one more on the way!
23. We haven't had a home phone since we've been married.
24. We haven't had cable or satellite television since we've been married.
25. The only non-volkswagen vehicle we've owned together is Joshua's Yamaha Motorcycle.
26. Our favorite games are Dominoes, Cribbage, Rummikub, and Take Two (a variation of Scrabble)
27. We prefer hand or homemade things (by someone in our family) over store-bought items.
28. We have subscriptions to PC Magazine, Woman's Day, Family Circle, Family Fun, National Geographic, Popular Mechanics, US News and World Report, Reader's Digest, and the Redmond Report.
29. We have never paid for any of them.
30. We make up goofy songs and sing them to each other.
31. We dance to them in front of our large windows.
32. We own the first two seasons of Little House on the Prairie on DVD. And looking for more.
33. We are looking to have our own little house in the big woods some day.
--Joshua--
34. I'm the Little House fanatic.
35. I'm the last child of 5 by 15 years, my dad is the youngest of 4 by 15 years. So, I have 2nd cousins that are older than me, but I still feel superior to them because their parents are my 1st cousins.
36. I don't get emotional about anything unless it is about loosing a father.
37. If I had a million dollars I would spend it all on tailored suits.
38. People that don't dress up when going to a play or musical really annoy me.
39. I won the last place trophy in my first and last bowling league.
40. To state a historical fact, I was never in the cool crowd; but I made sure that nobody could categorize me in any other group.
41. To prove, on the way back to class from recess, the teacher said, "Hello boys, girls, Joshua."
42. I went to private school until the 8th grade.
43. I wasn't allowed to walk during my High School Graduation because I received my only "F" ever just three days before.
44. I was heartbroken when I saw my mom in tears. I guess I can get emotional about mom things too.
45. I'm such a good lip-syncher that I even fooled my own mother. "No, he really sounds like that"
46. I moved to California to become an actor, but came back a Computer Network Administrator.
47. Besides Washington and California, I have lived in Georgia, Colorado and Saipan. (Google it)
48. The first time I moved out of my parents house, I moved into a log house on the water with a friend for $900/mo. The walls had large gaps that allowed the heat to escape straight outside the house. It was hard to watch TV because our breath would get in the way.
49. I'm a huge James Bond fan.
50. My favorite character is Garfield.
51. TV show, Dennis the Menace (B&W with Jay North)
52. Musician, Harry Connick, Jr.
53. Instrument, Steel Drum
54. Color, Purple
55. I will get in my car and drive to have a donut.
56. On vacations I leave my sleeping wife in bed while I get something to eat.
57. I don't like to get rid of things that may be useful someday.
58. I can sleep through a train wreck.
59. I sang the National Anthem in the National Capitol Rotunda.
60. In High School I totaled my brother's Cadillac. I bought it back from the insurance company for $400 and put a new front end on it.
61. I drove the only black and blue Eldorado in Gig Harbor for the next 4 years.
62. I hosted tractor lawnmower races at my parents house when they were out of town.
63. We had bonfires that reached 25 feet high.
64. As a talent item on my acting resume I put, "movable scalp"
65. I bought my motorcycle to help me get the courage to ask my future wife, Erin, out on a date. (indirectly)
66. I grew up around a lot of Josh's. I didn't like them so I preferred to be called Joshua. But tired of still being called Josh I made people call me Ua.
--Erin--
67. My name means Ireland.
68. I have a minor in Theatre Arts with and emphasis in dance.
69. I have a permanent retainer behind my lower front teeth.
70. I love to do crafts like knitting, crochet, scrapbooking, and needlepoint.
71. I call Joshua Husby. It started on our honeymoon when I called him Husband, then Hus, The Hus, and now Husby.
72. I got 100% on my driving test. I didn't think I was going to pass.
73. I have serious motion sickness issues. Even an elevator can make me ill.
74. I get migraines. I want Joshua to have just one so he knows what it's like.
75. When I was little I said that when I grew up I wanted to be a mommy, a daddy, a ballerina, and a Disneyland worker.
76. I still own pointe shoes. They have blood stains inside.
77. I never leave lights on when I'm not in the room.
78. Joshua does and it drives me nuts!
79. I alternate between christian, country, and classical music. I guess I like categories that start with "c".
80. I need at least eight hours of sleep at night.
81. I have crazy fears like being attacked by a mountain lion while hiking.
82. I kill plants. I am going to work very hard to keep our newest plants alive. I bough green gloves to mask my black thumbs with green.
83. From one word, I can have a song stuck in my head for weeks.
84. I am addicted to chapstick.
85. I have several scars from scratching when I had chicken pocks. I was in eighth grade.
86. My brother is three years younger than me. My sister is eight years younger than me.
87. I went to a private school for Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades.
88. I do not like guacamole - yuck!
89. I always stop to smell the flowers.
90. I went to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for one semester.
91. My first trip on an airplane was to Dallas, Texas for a dance competition.
92. I stink at sports.
93. My tennis teacher told my parents to have my eyes checked because he didn't think I could see the ball. My vision was 20/20.
94. I once flew to New York by myself. This was quite an accomplishment for a girl with fear of strangers.
95. I cry whenever I see someone else crying.
96. I love books. Especially books about books like The Eyre Affair .
97. I never walk around in my socks. If I walk barefoot for any length of time, I wash my feet before putting on my shoes. I know, I have issues.
98. The only jewelry I wear regulary is my wedding ring and watch.
99. I own every episode of Friends.
--Six--
100. I was in a car accident on the way home from the vet one time and now I hate both cars and vets.

Our First Visitors!

On Thursday we had our first out of town visitors ... my dad and Carol. They were in the Seattle area on business and drove out to spend the afternoon with us. After touring our apartment, we took a quick drive through Point Defiance Park before heading off to lunch at the Pacific Grill. The food was wonderful as usual ... I recommend the salmon. Next, we did a little sight seeing in the Stadium District (amazing views and unbelievable houses) and then went across the bridge to spend some time in Gig Harbor. We took advantage of the sunny day and walked through some of the shops on the waterfront. The yarn store was a big hit! Dad and Carol had to get back to Seattle, but Joshua and I had both taken the day off, so we decided to make the most of it. (The sun doesn't set until around 9:00pm this time of year!) We went kayaking along the sound and determined that this is a sport we need to do more! To end our evening, we went out for "the best Mexican food in the harbor" (it really is quite tasty) with Mom, Dad, and Joey. We had a great day and look forward to entertaining more visitors soon!

The long awaited job update ...

I know everyone has been asking me for an update, but I really haven't had time until now! Today is a lovely day because I only have to work at one place. Actually, I quit the test scoring job completely and now only work at the zoo and Sylvan. Scoring tests for eight hours a day (as you can imagine) was dreadfully boring! I had to go to the bathroom every hour just to stay awake! Hours with the other two jobs have been picking up, and I really like them both. Mostly I have been training to work at he zoo. There are a lot of animals and I need to know about all of them! It's a fun environment to work in though and the best part ... I get to walk there from home! On Friday I get to present my clouded leopard pre-show to my bosses wearing a Madonna-like microphone. Once I "pass" I can work at the theater as an Adventure Guide and pre-show host. Fun! At Sylvan I get to work four nights a week with students from first grade to high school teaching math and reading. The staff there are all wonderful as are the students. I am hoping to pick up more hours there so when the summer is over I won't need to find yet another job.
So there you have it. Other than working, Joshua and I have been enjoying the weather by walking or bike riding. We need to get in a little better shape for our rides before summer hits. :) Yesterday we went to yet another church and so far it's the best match for us. Afterward, we went to a few open houses. (No, we're not really on the market for a house yet, but we want to check out the price range and neighborhoods so we can be prepared when we are ready.) Then, we celebrated the beautiful day at Joshua's parents' house with a delicious steak bbq and a blackberry cobbler for dessert.