Good-bye 2009

Jason's family came down to visit today. We had a good time cooking, playing with toys, and watching the Cyclones beat Minnesota. There were lots of smiles and hugs to go around. Zara was very interested in Ethan's toys, but kept to herself most of the time. I opened the door for her to get to our room so she could hide. She's not used to kids, or that many people. She did pretty well though.

Another exciting thing that happened today is my friend Kim went into labor. She is just at 33 weeks, but the doctor is going to let her have him. (They know it's a boy and his name is Nolan.) She said the doctor was giving her some stuff to slow down the labor, but she made him stop. Hopefully tomorrow she'll be able to hold her new little boy!

This will be my last post for the year. Jason and I have been through a lot and we feel it has made our marriage stronger, and our love deeper. We've had the support and love of our friends and family and are extremely grateful for it. We both have very loving families that we both get along with. We have also been very blessed by both having jobs, a roof over our head, food to eat, and good health insurance. We wish all of our friends and family a wonderful and prosperous new year! Good luck in 2010!

Hooray!

Yes, Jason is out of the hospital and back home again! The doctors decided that 18 days of vancomycin was enough and he is only taking an oral antibiotic. The doctors also decided to leave his PICC line in, just in case. We have to flush the line every eight hours which is 5 am, 1 pm, and 9 pm. A lot better than hooking him up for antibiotics. He has a doctor's appointment for Tuesday. If he's doing fine, they might take the PICC line out. I guess the at-home nurse is supposed to come out at some point too. They haven't called us, so we're not really sure what's supposed to happen with them.

Hospital: Day 16

Jason is very anxious to get out of the hospital. He wanted me to bring in pizza for supper. We had hospital food one last time. He walked a lot today and is enjoying not being hooked up to an IV all the time. I've brought him warm clothes for his release. I hope they will be warm enough, it's been really cold these last couple of days.

My mom went home today. I'm very glad she came out to visit. It's nice just to have someone to come home to. Especially someone who talks back. (Zara doesn't really talk other than meow.)

Hospital: Day 16

When Jason's doctor talked to him this morning, he said that if Jason didn't get a fever today and his blood work tomorrow looked all right, Jason might get to go home tomorrow! We're very excited. We're pretty sure Jason will still need IV antibiotics, but we still have the stuff from the first time. Keep praying for us!

Hospital: Day 15

Jason doctor told him he could go off of the saline drip, so now he's only hooked up to an IV for his antibiotics. They also told him his white blood cell count was really low. When Jason told me that, I was thinking, no! He's been on antibiotics for 16 days and you expect his white blood cell count to be normal? And of course all of the cultures came back with nothing as well as the TB test. Even the swab of his feet came back with nothing. He's feeling much better today, though he still gets tired from time to time. Right now, the doctors think that maybe Wednesday he'll be able to start thinking about going home. He's been fever free since yesterday afternoon, and that's the biggest concern at this point in time.

Jason did have some more visitors. Grandma and Grandpa Peterson as well as my mom and Aunt Sara came to cheer him up. It was fun to get to see them, if only for a little while. Visitors are always appreciated with the boredom of hospitals.

Hospital: Day 15

I went back to work today. I did stop and see Jason before I went in. They woke him at 5 to take blood to check his antibiotic levels. His cellulitis look much better and there is only one blister left to go away. He still has the allergic rash over the rest of him, but he didn't have a fever this morning and he hasn't been getting the chills. He has been getting warm, but his room is set to 76 degrees from his last chill spell. When the door is shut, it gets pretty warm in there. Hopefully the doctors will have some good news for him today.

Hospital: Day 14/ Happy Birthday!

My mom came to visit and she came bearing gifts. We took the presents to the hospital, along with some supper. We took pictures of all of us opening gifts.
These are the cool socks Jordan got me.

My parents gave Jason some Star Wars bobble heads.

Mom taking pictures.

I also need to give a shout out to my baby sister. Happy birthday, Jo! We love you and hope to see you soon!

Hospital: Day 14

Both doctors came into see Jason while I was there this morning. His main doctor said his cellulitis is looking much better and is almost gone. It didn't look like the other rash was going away too much. The second doctor thinks Jason might be sensitive to the hospital soap and suggested he use his "at-home" soap in the shower to see if it would help clear things up. They did say there was nothing on his chest x-ray, so that's good. Jason did ask when they thought he would be able to go home and their main concern is his fever. I don't think he's had a fever today, but I haven't been around for all of his vitals. Jason's doing much better today. He has more energy and hasn't had any of the chills. He says he gets pretty warm still and the itching isn't as bad any more.

Hospital: Day 13

Jason's fever still comes and goes. I guess his chest was feeling heavy, his right arm hurt, and he was having shallow breathing earlier today. The doctor decided to another chest x-ray. They also decided to give him a skin TB test. The TB test will be done on Monday. Jason is also still having his chill/hot spells. We're still not hearing any answers for what he has.

Jason did have some visitors today. They had stopped at the hospital while I was home. Jason was apparently sleeping, so they came to the house. I am very grateful that Joyce and Matt showed up. They helped me to clean off the sidewalks and driveway. There was an ice layer with a layer of snow on top of it, then another layer of ice with snow on top of that. Yup, that's right. Four layers of ice and snow and that's what we got over two days. It wasn't deep, but it was a pain in the butt to clean up. A huge thank you to Joyce and Matt!

Once we were done, they did visit Jason. It helped to keep his spirits up. However, he's still in the hospital, feeling yucky.

Hospital: Day 13

The lab woke Jason at 6 this morning to draw blood. Hopefully they find out he's on enough medication. He's doing OK, still gets a low grade fever every now and again. We did walk once already today. His biggest complaint is that his back bothers him because of the bed. He hasn't see any doctor yet today. We're supposed to have the culture results sometime today.

Hospital: Day 12

We've had a lot of phone calls today! All of them well wishes and merry Christmases. It's always nice to get phone calls while in the hospital. Makes it feel a little more like home, not that I want to move here!

Jason is doing a lot better since they got him of the penicillin derivative. We went for a couple of walks today. They made him feel better, but his leg still turns people. Of course, both of them turn purple now. He seems less tired and more restless. We both took naps today, so that may have helped. He misses Zara and being home. The best we can hope for right now is Sunday.

Hospital: Day 12

I stayed at the hospital with Jason last night. During the night, he would get really hot, the have chills. He had a set of really bad chills that he had four hospital blankets and had me put his Carhartt coat as a blanket over his arms. Turns out, he's allergic to one of the medications. He was breaking out in more rash as well. Now the doctor's aren't sure if the new rash is from the allergic reaction, or the initial infection. They've taken him off of that particular medication and are putting him on a Z-pac by IV. He still has a headache and not a whole lot of energy. The cafeteria at least has turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, and bread stuffing today. Jason wanted me to make turkey for lunch, but I didn't have too. The great thing is, Jason can have turkey and ham, while I can eat turkey. They also have a few different pies as well. The food here is pretty good. The doctor did say that he would be here from two to three more days.

Santa did stop at our house and brought Zara a new toy. She seemed to enjoy it! Jason thought she was hilarious. It made him smile and laugh.

Hospital: Day 11

Since Jason is in the hospital again, that's where we did Christmas. Since he's not on a restricted diet, I was able to bring in a salad with salad dressing, Snicker salad, and homemade chicken noodle soup. Jason was extremely thankful for the soup. I should have made it for him when he first became sick, but I didn't have all the ingredients.

We did open prezzies. Jason got me some fuzzy socks, a cat calendar, the new Harry Potter movie, and Wii Fit Plus. I got Jason a sweatshirt, some pajama pants, and a World of Warcraft trilogy book. We spent most of the night watching TV. I ran out of hands to bring anything else to the hospital.

He is on three different medications now. They decided to keep him on the Vancomycin, but is on an anti fungal, and another antibiotic. They also put a fungicide on his foot since that's where the rash spread. He's very tired and feels beat most of the time. His fever comes and goes, so they have him on a constant IV.

Back Again

This morning Jason had his doctor appointment. He had a fever of 102 degrees, and his rash had spread to his feet. The rest of the rash looks much better. Since he had the fever, and it looked like it was still spreading, they put him back in the hospital. They now have him on a different antibiotic and a fungicide. The doctors think that since it hasn't gone away yet, it may be a fungal infection and that's why they were having a hard time growing a culture. He still has his PICC line, so hopefully they won't blow out anymore veins. We haven't been given a time frame as to when he'll get to go home again. (Big surprise.) I'll keep everyone updated. Calls and visitors are welcome, as always, as well as prayers and support.

(By the way, if anyone hasn't guessed, we're not sending Christmas cards this year.)

Home Sweet Home

Jason's first full day home! I setup his IV this morning at 4. I did OK. I got it done and he didn't pass out or anything. We had a pretty lazy morning. Jason is supposed to keep his leg up and not do anything strenuous. Homeward sent a nurse for the noon IV to change his dressing for his PICC line. She watched me setup the IV and hook Jason up. The nurse said she should give me a nursing degree. (Ha ha, Jo! And I didn't even have to go to school!) She gave us a couple of helpful hints that made things go much smoother.

Jason went on errands with me in the afternoon. We think he overdid it a little bit. His leg was really swollen when we got back, he was really tired, and he had a slight fever. We were out and about for about an hour and a half, much longer than Jason is used to. We called his doctor and they said give him some Tylenol and watch his temperature. If it got worse, call First Nurse. He goes in to see the doctor tomorrow morning.

This is also my 100th post for this blog! Unfortunately, Jason being in the hospital really pushed it along. Thank you to everyone who reads the blog! I hope you find it informative and sometimes humorous!

Home at Last

Jason was finally released from the hospital at 6:45 tonight. During his IV treatment at the hospital, his chest started to feel really heavy. Instead of being released after the IV, they ordered an EKG and a CT scan. Of course it took most of the afternoon for them, but better to be safe than sorry. Everything is fine, and the feeling went away when he was done with the medication. We got home close to 7 and the nurse showed up at 7:30.
The nurse showed us how to setup the IV pump since the medical people didn't do it. She showed me how to start the IV and flush it. So, that's what I'll be doing, but the at-home nurse care will change the dressing, take blood, and take his vitals once a week. Jason goes to the doctor Thursday morning, so maybe he'll be done with the IV by then.
We're very grateful that our insurance will cover the home care and for the nurse teaching me how to setup the IV. Things will be nicer since Jason is home. It will be tough since he needs his IV's at 4am, noon, and 8pm, but he's home. Thank you for all the support and prayers. They are much appreciated.

Hospital: Day 10

Jason has had his PICC line put in. We're waiting for them to take out his IV. And we're waiting for his last in hospital antibiotic. And we're waiting for the doctor to come in and release Jason. Yup, we're playing the waiting game. BUT, he will get to go home today! We're very excited, and both of us didn't sleep well last night. It's been a long time since Jason's been home, and he's very restless. He hasn't really seen the decorated tree, or any of the goodies that have been made. Zara and I are very excited to get him back home and to celebrate Christmas. The way the weather looks, it doesn't seem like we were going to be able to get back to eastern Iowa anyway. But, we'll be at home and not the hospital.

Hospital: Day 9

So, Jason will finally get to come home tomorrow...we think. His doctor has ordered a PICC line and the insurance said they would cover the in-home care. Jason is scheduled for his PICC line tomorrow morning. The nurse said early morning, but she said it would be elevenish. So while Jason and I will not be traveling to Eastern Iowa this Christmas, at least we will both be at home. (It didn't sound like we would have the best traveling conditions anyway. It's supposed to snow for the rest of the week.)
We are very thankful for all the prayers and support! It's been a tough time for us and our friends and family mean so much to us!

Hospital: Day 9

The doctor today (who is Jason's regular doctor, and not the same one from the weekend) said that Jason still needs IV antibiotics three times a day. Which means the hospital for a few more days. The doctor did say he was looking to see if they could setup an at-home nurse to give him his antibiotics. Normally they only do it for one or two times a day, but since Jason's been here for so long, and it's Christmas, they were going to see what they could do.
Jason's not as tired today. We still go for our walks. He's very tired of being here and just wants to go home.

Hospital: Day 8

The doctor visited Jason and he said that we were looking at being home for Christmas! He said a possibility of a tomorrow night release even! We're pretty excited and can't wait.
Jason's rash is looking a lot better. It's almost down to just blisters now. He's been getting up and walking a mile three or four times a day. He's really tired today though. He's been sleeping on and off all morning. He says this is the most tired he's been all week. I'm hoping that means the antibiotics are working.
As always, our friends and family are wonderful and we appreciate everything you do for us!

Hospital: Day 7

Jason had to have another new IV put in. This time they put it in a vein in his elbow. Now he's having a hard time making sure he doesn't bump it so it won't come out. He also has a hard time bending his arm because of the IV. Because of the location of the IV, the antibiotics make him much more tired than they were. Hopefully that means they'll work faster!
He had another visitor, which are always appreciated! Keep the phone calls and visits coming! He has less to do now that he has limited use of one of his arms. He can't really play computer games well like that. I did bring him a selection of movies for him to watch and a couple of books for him to read. The reading isn't really happening since it makes him more sleepy.
Jason's still in good spirits and we're still planning on coming home on Monday! That's what we keep telling ourselves.

Hospital: Day 7

The rash on Jason's leg is starting to look a lot better.

I'm taking it as a good sign that the rash is starting to go away. He says it still itches, and still has some blistering, but it's doing better. It still wears him out when he gets the antibiotics, but that will pass.

Hospital: Day 6

Jason had a few more visitors today. We also walked a lot more than we have been. A physical therapist came to look at his leg and said walking and ankle rolls were about the only thing he could do to help get better. He had a few phone calls as well. He's starting to go stir crazy being cooped up here. The doctor said maybe Monday, but we say he's going home on Monday! We're keeping a positive attitude, and he'll get to go home Monday!

I did call the insurance company. Good news, we've met our deductible and our out-of-pocket, so this visit is 100% covered. That was a great relief. We both have enough sick/vacation time to cover not being at work, so we're sitting fairly well considering our circumstance.

We appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers. It helps us to get through the day.

Hospital: Day 6

I didn't blog again last night because I had a migraine. (Big surprise, I know.)
Jason did have some visitors. Visitors are always welcome. They help break the monotony of the day. After some pills and caffeine (and some praying to the porcelain god, I was able to talk to the visitors as well. Jason and I also played some Scrabble. I got off to a good start, but Jason ended up winning.
I slept in late today to make sure my migraine wouldn't come back. (I feel much better today.) I also spent some time making beer bread and Christmas presents. And playing with Zara, of course.

Jason's doctor came in and said he's here until Monday. He's not worried about having to take Jason's plate out, which is a good thing. The doctor told Jason to keep walking, and that he could walk more. Jason doesn't seem to get quite as tired anymore and I try to keep him laughing. The best laughs I've gotten is from one of the pictures I took of Zara, and the "Mute Monks Hallelujah" video Martha sent me. (Thanks, Martha! It was really funny!) For those of you interested, here is the link for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCFCeJTEzNU

Hospital: Day 5

Jason was told by the doctor this morning that he is scheduled for another blood test tomorrow. Looks like at least one more day. (Big surprise, I know.) It felt like he had a slight fever this morning, but he's still in a pretty good mood for being cooped up for a week. He did ask for me to bring in some cookies. He keeps busy playing games on the Internet and talking to me. I would like to bring in Zara for him to play with for a while, but I know that bringing in animals is against the rules. It would be nice to take him home for an hour while he's not hooked up to his IV, but I don't see that happening either. Now I'm just praying for him to be released this weekend. I would like him home for Christmas!

Hospital: Day 4

The nurse took blood to see if his antibiotic levels are where they are supposed to be. They are below normal, so I guess he's supposed to be getting more antibiotics. I don't know if that means he'll have to be here until Friday now, or not. He has developed a bump on his ankle that the nurse thinks is accumulating fluid. It does look like his rash is spreading around it. He hasn't had a fever today and is in much better spirits. He still gets tired easily, but he's still getting a lot of medicine.

Matt came up to visit this afternoon and brought some Christmas goodies from Joyce. That really cheered up Jason. We're still praying for a release tomorrow. We'll see what happens.

Hospital: Day 4

One more day. The doctor said Jason may be able to go home tomorrow. Here's hoping! They want Jason to stay in the hospital another day because there aren't pill form antibiotics strong enough for his infection. He's off the IV saline and just needs the antibiotics by IV. He's up walking around more and his pain is still intense, but doesn't last as long. His rash is starting to go away too. They are thinking about giving him a steroid cream to help with the itching, but are hesitant since it will make it harder to fight the infection. Jason did finally get more than an hour or two for sleep last night. He hasn't gotten any morphine since Monday as well. I think he's doing a lot better and we can't wait til he can come home. Thank you for all of your prayers!

Hospital: Day 3

Here are today's pictures of Jason's leg.




His aunt Joyce and her husband Scott stopped by for a visit. We're very appreciative of visitors. Jason napped for a little bit on and off this afternoon. He still has a bad headache and we think his rash is still spreading. His doctor will see him again in the morning.

Hospital: Day 3

The doctor is hopeful that the infection will start clearing up today. Jason doesn't get a lot of sleep since he's in a hospital bed, but he's not doing much. He's still in a lot of pain when he walks. He will be in the hospital until at least Wednesday. He's keeping himself entertained with the computer when he's not watching TV. I brought some DVDs for him to watch and some books to read. We think he's done with his fever. Hopefully he'll get to go home tomorrow!

Hospital: Day 2

So after asking the nurse, they think Jason has cellulitis. He seems to not be having as many "fever flashes" and has more energy. He is still aches and his head hurts and his rash has spread to his torso. They are pushing the antibiotics, and Jason is hoping to go home tomorrow. We'll see how things turn out. Here are some pictures of his leg.

Hospital: Day 2

The doctor was able to see Jason this morning. He believes Jason has some sort of lymph infection (the cultures aren't back yet for bacteria) and that he should be on IV antibiotics for two to three days. His white count is getting better, but his rash is spreading. Fortunately, it's isolated to the one leg. He's still tired and has a fever that goes up and down and has pain in his leg. He seems a little better though. Better spirits at least. It is icy and snowing here, so we're not too disappointed that he's not leaving yet. He's going to have an ultrasound later today to see if he has any clots in his leg.

We'll keep you posted when we know more! Thank you for your prayers and support!

Pray for Us

Don't panic, but please keep us in your prayers. Jason was admitted to the hospital for a fever (not higher than 103 at home, but normal at the hospital) and a rash on his leg. (The one with the plate.) They have done blood, urine, throat and nasal swab testing and x-rays. He goes in for an ultrasound tomorrow. They have started him on two different antibiotics. We are also not sure how long he will be there except at least overnight. We both have our cell phones if anyone would like more information, or just to check in on us. I will be home at night since there isn't a comfortable place for me to sleep in his room.

I will try to keep updating the blog to keep everyone informed. I'm not promising anything, but I will try.

Cancellation

So, CyRide DID end up cancelling service all day today. Jason called at 9 to see if he had to work and they told him to come in at noon. (He usually works at 10.) While he was out clearing the driveway, they called and said they were cancelling service and he didn't need to come in at all. He was ten minutes from being done clearing the drive.
Yes, that is Jason in our garage. Notice how the snow comes up to his knees. He said that once he got done shoveling the end of the drive, the rest of the cleared driveway was starting to blow shut again because of the wind. It was a really good day to stay home and watch movies.

Snow Day

Central Iowa received enough snow and it's blizzardy enough that Iowa State closed campus. No work for me today! CyRide has even suspended service until at least 8 this morning. It may be longer depending on how the weather progresses.

Decorations

Jason and I did get some Christmas deco-rations up today. Here's a picture of our mantle. There aren't any on the tree, yet. Zara has been batting at the lower branches, so we'll see how tomorrow goes since Jason and I are at work all day.

We watched a couple of Christmas movies today as well. It's nice when Jason gets to be home on the weekends. We did have "thanksgiving" again today. We made turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, and pie. We didn't have any leftovers from Thanksgiving at Jason's parents, so we decided to make our own! It was really yummy and will feed us for several days. I was even able to freeze about eight cups of turkey after measuring out what we needed for hot and cold turkey sandwiches and turkey tetrazzini. I'm pretty sure Jason has decided he's eating the rest of the leftover stuffing for breakfast.

Zara also decided to "help" me with the quilt I am making. I laid the fabric for the backing on the floor to make sure I had enough, and Zara decided she needed to tackle the fabric, then wrap herself in it. She's quite entertaining! I'll have to make one just for her someday.

Survival

Ames survived it's first snowstorm. It started snowing Thursday afternoon, then by five, the snow had been driven on enough to melt it, but the streets were cold enough to refreeze the driven on snow. Yes, that's right, icy roads. It was bad enough that the police department and DPS (department of public safety) closed some streets and CyRide suspended service for a few hours. I made it home with no difficulty other than someone in front of me wanting to stop halfway up a hill. Jason ended up staying an extra hour and a half at work. It was a long night for him. But, we survived and the ice was gone by the morning.

On another note, Jason got his car fixed and sold! It's nice having the entire driveway to park in. The extra money helps out with bills too. We are very thankful that we were able to fix it without spending too much on it. We are also thankful we could sell it to someone who really needed it. (The guy has a motorcycle. Not so good to drive to work to in the winter.)

Tomorrow we're going to try to put up our Christmas decorations. We're going to put up our tree and see if Zara will not try to climb it this year. I have my fingers crossed! I don't think we'll actually decorate the tree until we find out if she will try to climb it. I don't want to take the time to decorate it if I'm just going to be undecorating it the next day. I have decided we will not be sending out Christmas cards this year. There is to much stress here to add one more. Not sending out cards does NOT mean we are not thinking about our friends and family. We pray that everyone has a good holiday season and that things are going well! You are in our thoughts and prayers!

Organizing

I spent Tuesday evening re-organizing my kitchen. Jason's family was nice enough to give me new pots and pans for my birthday. Jason and I decided to throw out some of our old plastic containers as well. I now have a box of kitchen stuff to give away. I did have some help with the re-organizing. Zara had to examine each cupboard before I could move stuff back in. She even checked for dust bunnies under the stove for me. She had cobwebs covering her whole face! She didn't find any of her mousie toys, though. I had to give her a bath Wednesday, and she spent the evening running around the house being a spaz.

It also snowed today in Ames. Some of it actually stuck! It made driving terrible. It turned icy for a while. I was lucky to be home by then, but Jason ended up working late.

Busy, Busy

Jason and I came home Saturday afternoon. It was about 4:30 by the time we got home, so just starting to get dark. So, no working outside. We unpacked the Pacifica and went, "where should we put all of this?" We were sent home with some of Jason's toys from when he was growing up, new pots and pans for my birthday, applesauce, potatoes, corn, and pork ribs. After finding a place for the food, (the box of toys and pots and pans are still in the kitchen) I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things for the week. It just amazes me how doing nothing but sitting in a car can wear you out so much! We didn't do a whole lot after that. Played some computer games. Had supper. Nothing notable.

Yesterday we did get a lot of things accomplished. Jason vacuumed, took out garbage, took care of some cobwebs and helped with laundry. I finished sewing quilt rows together, washed two sets of dishes, and tried a new brownie recipe. There were a few other smaller accomplishments, but it was a very productive day. I'm trying to get things cleaned up a little more before we get the Christmas decorations out. I also need to go through my kitchen cupboards and decide what can be given away and what can stay to make room for new pots and pans. Maybe we'll get a tree up. Maybe Zara will not climb it like last year. We'll see what happens.

Thanksgiving

With all the stress going on in our lives right now, Jason and I have a lot to be thankful for.

Giggles from a little boy
Zerberts
Having a job
Family
Friends
A little kitty
Cameras
Having a house
Having food
The ability to travel

And, of course, the ability to share pictures with my friends and family!

Reading to Ethan.

Grandma Slater playing with Ethan.

Update

I received an update on my "job situation" today. Apparently the person trying to bump me is going to be allowed to train in my position for a few weeks to she if they can do my job at all. I'm not thrilled about this, mainly because there will be two of us doing the job, and someone has to train her even though the union states they need to be able to come in and do my job untrained to be able to bump me. Everyone I work with says don't worry and just keep dong what you're doing. I still have a job and all I can do is out perform the other person and keep learning new things. They have to be able to do EVERYTHING I have been trained to do. Seeing as a lot of stuff I do I already knew when I transferred to Racing Chemistry, I've learned quite a bit.

Thank you to everyone who thinks about us and is praying for us! It's been a very stressful couple of months, and it doesn't seems like I get any good news. As always, I will keep you posted!

*On a side note: Yes, Dad, we did get plastic on our windows! I even took a picture as proof.

Finally

After telling Dad since Halloween that Jason and I were going to plastic our windows, we finally did. We did the upstairs and three rooms on the main floor. (The other two didn't need them.) All we have left is our bedroom windows, but they needed to be vacuumed first. There were a lot of cobwebs in them.

Now we're gearing up to visit Jason's family for Thanksgiving! We're pretty excited since his parent's house is almost done. I guess they don't have anything moved yet, and weren't sure if they were going to be able to this weekend or not. It will be a fun holiday regardless!

Party

Yesterday we had my birthday party. Seventeen of us met at Hickory Park for lunch where we all had a good time gabbing. Joyce and I got our birthday sundaes which were really good. Fifteen of us then proceeded to 20th Century Bowling where the kids got to bowl with bumpers, and the rest of us didn't. We had a lot of fun. We had two people almost fall, but they didn't.

After bowling, Jason, Dave and I went to Pete and Mary's where we got pizza, watched TV and played Apples to Apples. It was a really fun day and I appreciate everyone who was able to come!

I did have time to call Mason and wish him a happy birthday! His party is tonight so I hope he has a wonderful time!

Don't forget to check out more pictures on Flickr!

Pictures

I finally posted my pictures from Mom and Dad's party on Flickr. There is a link to the website to the side of the page. I think I gave them all right descriptions. I know there are some unrelated pictures that need descriptions, but that will have to wait for another time.

Happy Birthday!

Hippo birdies two me!
Hippo birdies two me!
Hippo birdies, hippo birdies,
Hippo birdies two me!

Today is my 30th birthday! That's right! The big 3-0! And how am I celebrating this momentous occasion today? I'm at work, fighting my cold. I don't have a fever and I'd rather be surrounded by people who like me than sitting at home on my couch feeling sorry for myself while Jason is at work. Don't worry! Jason and I are going to Panera for supper, then Coldstone for dessert.

Jason is also planning a bowling party for me on the 14th. I'm pretty excited and hope that I feel better by then. I also hope Jason doesn't get whatever it is I have. It's not fun.

Just a few short hours until the real celebration begins!!

Happy Anniversary!

I want to wish my parents a wonderful, happy, 30th anniversary! I'm glad I was able to see you this weekend. I love both of you very much!

Surprise!

Yesterday my siblings and I threw our parents a surprise anniversary party. It went really well. They were surprised and there was a good turn out. We had only a little bit of cake leftover. Jamie made some DVDs of pictures through the years that were really neat. Later that night, we had supper with the grandparents at Rastrelli's. It was a lot of fun and there was a lot of food! I'll post more pictures on Flickr later in the week.

I'd like to thank everyone who came to the party, or sent well wishes to Mom and Dad. It means a lot to me, and the rest of my family. The party was a good time and I know a lot of time went into planning it. For those that couldn't make it, we know you were there in spirit!

Happy Halloween!!

Yesterday we had a Halloween party at work. (Yes, a shock, I know.) There were some cute costumes, but my favorites were Somchai dressing up as our co-worker Dan. Dan even helped her with the costume. My other favorite costume was Bruce's. Can't figure out what he is? He went as email.
We had a really fun time and we did actually work. Honest!

So...

I don't know what it was about the tetanus booster I got, but it really messed me up. I couldn't move my arm very well for two days, then I got a sinus infection. Bad enough that I did stay home on Tuesday. I was headachey and just wiped out. I spent most of the day sleeping. I'm feeling a lot better now. Still tired, but not as sick. I'm glad tetanus boosters are every ten years.

On another note, Saturday is Halloween and I have no idea what to dress up as for work. We don't have a lot of money to spend on costumes, so it kind of comes down to what we can do with at home. That isn't very much. I'm sure I'll find something.

*On a side note: I don't know anymore about the job situation than I did when they first told me about people being able to "bump" into my position. I just show up and work.*

Sick Days

So, since I had my tetanus shot, I've taken Thursday and Friday off because I cannot lift my arm much more than 45 degrees without a lot of pain. I didn't sleep well Wednesday night either. I called first nurse and they said if I still have pain tomorrow, to go back to the doctor. Such a lovely thought to have to go back to the doctor when a vaccination has bad reaction.

Either way, I did get a lot of quilting done. Since I could sit high enough, I didn't have to lift my arm too much.

We also found out, due to a scheduling problem, we are now going to Independence Saturday. Mom, if you're in the area, stop by!

Shots

Today I got a tetanus booster. The nurse gave it to me almost at the top of my arm. Right now my upper arm is achey, but we'll see how the rest of the day progresses.

Last weekend was homecoming for Iowa State. We tailgated with some friends who were going to the game, then went to our friends Pete and Mary's for supper. Once they game was over (Iowa State won!), some of Jason's old band friends came over too. Jason had a good time talking with them. He hadn't seen some of them in years!

I am still employed by Iowa State. There are more budget cuts, so we'll see what happens. We're staying optimistic, and we do have a few plans if things get bad. Besides, we're not as bad off as some people.

Sick Day

Jason stayed home sick today. He's been having back problems (we think from the water slide) and on and off migraine headaches. I went to work, but got a quilt out for him to sleep with on the couch. Zara decided to help make him better by snuggling between his legs. After supper, Jason and I decided to watch a movie where I put my head in his lap. Zara came up to snuggle shortly after. We love making Daddy feel better!

Update

Today we had an all VDL meeting. Basically it was to tell us that there are going to be some layoffs, so be supportive of the people who's positions are being eliminated. I was called into the office yesterday to talk to the director and a HR liaison. I am not being laid-off, but they can offer my position to people who are being laid-off since they have seniority. Once someone is notified, they are told their options, then have five days to decide what they want to do. If they decide to "bump", they go to the next person and do the same thing. Once the chain has been decided, everyone is notified and those involved have twenty days once notified before the changes take place. It could take several months before anything happens. Yay, fun for me. In the meantime, I just get to sit and wait.

Hectic Weekend

It was a pretty hectic weekend. There were parties, visitors, and lots of wind. I came home with a headache today. (I'm fine now.) I will be visiting the doctor on Wednesday about my thyroid medication. (Sorry, not pregnant, Dad!) When I get the pictures downloaded, I'll blog more about it later.

Happy Birthday!

I just wanted to wish our friend Matt a happy birthday! His philosophy is you're only as old as you feel. (The last time I saw him he must of been pretty old!)

I also want to give a shout out to my favorite bro, Marc! He told me he reads my blog everyday, so I guess I'll have to try to blog more.

Jelly

I made jalapeno jelly today. There's nothing quite like the sting of acetic acid (vinegar) mixed with capsaicin (the stuff that makes jalapenos hot). I'm not sure I have any nose hair left. The jars turned out really good though! I'll post some pictures later. I'm trying to figure out what to put the jalapeno jelly on...

Visitors

Jason and I had quite the fun filled weekend. Friday night Jennifer and Mike came out to visit us. They wanted to have an "adults" weekend, so Ethan got to stay at Grandma's! The four of us went to King Buffet for supper, then we bought the movie "Wolverine" so we could watch that when we got home. Jason worked Saturday morning, so Jennifer and Mike went and explored Ames. They went to the farmer's market and walked downtown. They stopped at CyRide while Jason was working and got a tour of the addition. When the three of them got back, we had pulled pork for lunch. (Thank you so much for the recipe, Wanda!) I walked to the library and Jennifer and Mike came with. Jason decided he needed a nap since the rest of slept in. I also gave Jennifer and Mike a tour of Racing Chemistry, then we drove around town to show them the new buildings. They left Saturday night since they helped with church. We had a really great time with them and hope they can stay longer next time!

Sunday, I surprised Jason by taking him to the Science Center to see "Star Trek" in the IMAX. He was really happy. Of course I spent a good portion of the movie with my eyes closed. There was too much going on. We didn't stop to see anyone because we had to get back and finish our household chores. And we hadn't really done much of anything yet because we slept pretty late.

(Oh, and the Cyclones won! First away game won since October 2005. We're getting better!)

Busy Weekend

It's been quite the eventful weekend. First there was the Iowa/Iowa State football game. Matt and I tailgated while Jason worked. Iowa won 35-3, but Iowa state scored first with their field goal. Even thought State lost, it was still a fun time. After the game, Jason, Matt and I met with Pete and Pat to start our Octoberfest mini-tour at Old Chicago. It was a fun time for everyone.

Sunday, Jason decided he had enough money in his account to buy me a new computer. We went to Best Buy where we called Blair to make sure we were getting a computer that would suit my needs. We decided on one and went to buy it. We also decided to sign up for Best Buy's credit card so we could earn points towards gift certificates. (Which will hopefully lead to a new washer!) It took us four hours to get approved. We had to send in pay stubs and they gave us the wrong fax number three times. It was very tempting to wait until Tuesday, when Jason got paid, and just buy it outright then. However, he does get quite a few things at Best Buy, and he doesn't have a credit card. Needless to say, I was extremely frustrated and wanted to forget the whole thing. We did get the computer and I have started installing the programs I want on it. It will take some time.

Today was also Jason's employee picnic. It was a gorgeous day for it! And the food was excellent. Jason was in charge of some of the games. He played volleyball for a while.

Happy Birthday!

I would like to say happy birthday to my mom! Sorry you don't get a birthday motiff, but at least it's red and gold. I hope you have a wonderful day!

BEAT IOWA

It's been an exciting week. At work, they are planning a retirement party for our department head. He retires on the 25th. He took all of us out for lunch on Tuesday to show his appreciation for the work that everyone has done. He has been gone on vacation for the last two days, so most everyone is scheming about what to do for the party. It's been a very whirlwind week with a lot of the "team" coming up with funny memories.

Tomorrow is also the Iowa/Iowa State game. Unfortunately, it's in Ames this year which means crazy stupid traffic from tonight until well after the game tomorrow. I try not to drive anywhere if I don't have to. Jason will work through the entire game and he even picked up an extra shift tonight to help out. (And the overtime doesn't hurt either!) He picked me up a prezzie while he was out this morning. He got me an Iowa State Tailgater hooded sweatshirt to wear for, obviously, tailgating. Except it's supposed to be 80 degrees tomorrow. Hopefully I'll get some use out of it during October and November!

Happy Anniversary!

It's been a busy weekend. Friday I took a half day at work to go to the doctor for headaches. The doctor I saw thought it might be sinuses and agreed it was likely allergies. She gave me a prescription for Allegra D, so we'll see how it works. I'm still having some headaches, but the doctor thought I may have an underlying virus causing the headaches. If I'm still having them this weekend, I get to go back the following Monday.

Yesterday was Grandma and Grandpa Peterson's anniversary. Fifty-six years and still counting. Mom and Dad came down, so the four of us went to celebrate with them. Grandma and Grandpa had been eating all day since they went out for brunch and went to a friend's birthday party. They went out to eat with us mainly to keep us company. (Don't they look happy!)

Mom also had a project for me. She has a Toca (African drum) that she wanted a cover/carrying bag for. We found some fabric she liked and got some directions from one of the workers at the store for how to go about this project. We ended up going in again today to make sure we understood what we were doing. I got the bag part finished, but Mom has to add the drawstring and the strap herself. The bag was bigger than what it needed to be, but it left some room if she wanted to put extra cushioning in with her drum. I hadn't worked with flannel/fleece fabric before and I have to say, it's not my favorite.

It's That Time Again

Thursday started the Iowa State football season. It was a record breaking crowd at the game and the team made a pretty good show by winning against North Dakota State University. I met up with Dwayne, Lisa, and Ray after work to do some tailgating. My friends Bethany and Pat went with me to the game and they each brought a friend of there's as well. It was a really fun time. Bethany had never been to a college game before and was a bit overwhelmed by it all. Her and her sister took the time to try and figure out how they were going to get down from our seats. Apparently they don't care for heights too much. (We were in the upper deck about halfway up.) All in all, it was a fun time with an awesome marching band show. And that's all that was important....the band was awesome and sounded really good!

My First Full Day

Today was my first full day in Racing Chemistry. I did a few things I already knew how to do, just hadn't done it the way Racing does. I also got to walk the dogs, which it was gorgeous out so I think I'm just lucky I got to do that. Since it ended up being a slow afternoon, they let most of us leave a little early. It was a pretty good day! There were a couple of questions from people in Chemistry, but they were easy questions.

Thursday is Iowa State's first football game. I'm going tailgating with Ray, some of his family, Lisa, some of her friends, and my friend Bethany. I think it will be a blast, especially since Bethany hasn't tailgated before and she's never been to an Iowa State football game.

So Nice...

I just have to say how nice it is to have a functional dryer. It was so quiet while it was running. And I was able to do all of our laundry in one afternoon as opposed to a day and a half. We left the house while it was running and didn't worry about it stopping, not stopping, or setting the house on fire.

Transition

Today was my last official day in Chem/Tox. The group of us (including Allison who was also Chem/Tox) went to lunch to "celebrate" my last day. They gave me a very nice card and I made plans with Lisa and Ray to tailgate with them at the football game Thursday. It was an all right day.

I have been working in Racing and they have been very nice. They gave me a hard time about being the new person and needing to bring treats on my first day, and for the weekly meeting. I did go to their weekly meeting this week and there were a few dips from the resident Tastefully Simple rep, cake, and homemade egg rolls. I don't think I can live up to that. They'll have to do with some cookies. During the meeting they did take a vote as to whether or not to pursue this big contract they were working on. They decided not to, for several legitimate reasons. Of course when they voted against it, they basically sealed my fate as having a job until January. (The director told me if they didn't get this contract, the job would be done in January.) Several people have told me that Racing will be able to keep the position so I shouldn't worry about it. But still...there's no guarantee. So once again, it was a very emotional week.

On a funnier note, I got a phone call from Jason on Wednesday. He's trying to explain to me why we should take Zara to the vet while he's trying not to laugh. A few days before, Jason caught Zara eating some yarn. Apparently when he went home for lunch that day, she was trying to pass it. He was laughing because she was dragging her butt along the floor while scooting herself with her front paws. He said it was the funniest thing ever. (She did pass the yarn and she's feeling much better now.) I'm glad we got her, if for nothing else, the cheap entertainment.

Prezzy

Since Jason got an early birthday present, I decided I needed one too. Today Sears delivered a new gas dryer to our house. Unfortunately, the control panel was damaged, so they will be delivering a brand new one sometime in the near future. They did leave the damaged one with us, and yes, they were willing to take money off of it, but it was the control panel. I don't want to mess with having technicians out constantly to fix it. Had it just been scratched or dented somewhere else, we probably would have decided differently.

Today was also my last full day working for the Chemistry lab. I start in Racing Chemistry tomorrow afternoon. I have been absolutely swamped these past two days and I don't forsee getting everything done that needs to be done by Friday. I guess after Friday it isn't my worry anymore.

We also fixed our laundry room door downstairs. Zara was so happy she could go downstairs again!

What I Know

Tuesday I was approached by the section head (Dr. Hyde) of Racing Chemistry and told about a job position he had posted. He encouraged me to apply for it and said he was forbidden by personnel to say anything else. When I asked if he was telling anyone else about the position, he said no. I went to talk to my section head (Dr. Ensley) and told him what had happened. He didn't know what was going on and said if I went to talk to the director (Dr. Main), he would like to go. We did have a meeting with Dr. Main. It was not very fruitful. The rest of the week consisted of many meetings, many phone calls, and lots of rumors. This is what I know for sure:

1. My current position is being eliminated, despite the fact it involves a project that could fund the Diagnostic lab and the Chemistry/Toxicology is short people already.

2. No one can specifically tell me that my position is being eliminated.

3. The position in Racing Chemistry will not be eliminated, unless their contracts don't come through. (Dr. Main DID specifically state that if the contract Racing was trying to establish didn't work, the position would be there until January.)

4. Regardless of where my job is at, it is the first one subject to layoffs because I'm lowest on the lab tech seniority. (This one was straight from Human Resources.)

5. Dr. Hyde is retiring in September.

6. I can transfer back to Chemistry is they have an open position, but have to wait six months before I can. (If you do the math, that's sometime after January.)

7. If Racing can't get this new contract, it is possible they will close the whole department.

8. If Racing closes, I will not be able to transfer to Chemistry because I won't be eligible, and everyone in Racing will be able to do the job meaning I would have to compete with everyone with more seniority than myself.

I'm not happy about having to leave my position in Chemistry because I love my job there and love the people I work with. I have accepted a position with Racing so I can still work for Iowa State. I'm trying to give the job a fair chance, but I feel that I was forced to take the position to keep my job. I'm more mad about that fact that no one can tell me anything other than rumor and "I'd like to tell you, but I can't." I've heard that many times this week and have gotten lots of cases in that has kept me so busy, I'm skipping break to keep up.

It's been a very long and stressful week. I'm working part-time in Chemistry next week to try and train someone to do my job, then the following week I'm in Racing full-time. Dr. Hyde has agreed to let me be available to Chemistry on a limited basis to run tests that aren't run very often, as long as I tell my lab manager. I'm not happy with the situation and there are a lot of people that have given me sympathy over the last week. Dwayne (my lab manager) and Dr. Ensley went to Dr. Main to fight to keep me in Chemistry, but my impression is that Chemistry doesn't make enough money and that's where they're going to cut people until they can't justify it anymore. I'm at least thankful that there are several people within the lab that feel I'm worth fighting for and worth keeping in the Diagnostic lab.

State Fair

Jason and I took last Friday off (obviously because we haven't taken enough time off this summer) to go to the state fair. We left our house a little after seven in the morning, ate breakfast, then headed to the fair. For those of you who don't know, my family used to show dairy cattle (Brown Swiss) so we lived at the fair for the first week. I didn't leave the cattle barn much, so going to the fair without cattle is a whole nother experience.

Jason and I were fortunate enough to have a friend close to the fairgrounds who let us use their driveway to park. It took about ten minutes to walk from their house to the gates. Jason and I went to the Pavilion where Dad was watching the Brown Swiss open show. We watched for a while then met up with Mom and Grandma Peterson who were outside the Agriculture building looking at flowers. They borrowed my camera and took lots of pictures. (Here's one of a Dahlia.) Unfortunately, I can't put them on my flickr account because it exceeds the amount I'm allowed for the month. I'll put them up next month. Once the Agriculture building opened, we went and saw the sights in there. After we were done with that, Jason and I headed off to visit some people in the cattle barn. They were so nice and let me pet their animals and smiled. Mom and Dad haven't had cows for six years now. They were never animals to us. They were pets. We also went through the avenue of breeds and saw the biggest boar and bull. They are absolutely massive!

We met up with Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Matt for lunch at the pork tent. We always go to the pork tent because it's always good. After lunch, Matt and I split a glazed funnel cake. Jason, Matt and I went to the Animal learning center where they have animals that are close to giving birth, or have given birth. You get to see lots of baby animals including ducks, chicks and ostriches.

Jason decided he needed dessert after seeing the baby animals and we went to get him a candy bar on a stick. Yes, they actually put candy bars on sticks and deep fat fry them. We went through the Varied Industries building where Matt and Jason looked at the vendors and I snuck off to see the quilts. I discovered that they actually have a quilting room where they have all the materials to make what I would call snuggle quilts. The size of quilt you snuggle in when it's cold. You could make a quilt and all of the quilts were then donated to children in need. If we hadn't of been pressed for time, I would have helped to make one. It's something I need to remember for next year.

Once we were done in the Varied Industries building, Jason and I went to get mac & cheese bits and look for something on a stick for me to eat. Matt suggested cheese on a stick. It was good and definitely better without the marinara sauce. At this time it was getting to be three in the afternoon and we needed to leave. We walked back up to our vehicles and came home where we showered and packed for our weekend in Independence. (Like I said, because we haven't had enough vacation this summer.)

Happy Birthday!

Today is Jason's birthday!!! We celebrated a little bit this weekend when we were in Independence. Pat's grandma made this really yummy yellow with fruit cake (no candles). It was delicious and much appreciated. Since we went to Colorado, I got him a package of white chocolate peanut butter cups and a sound card. Sound cards are his favorite and he really liked it. We are going out for lunch since he has the day off, and are getting together with some of our friends for supper. I hope he has a wonderful day!

Rocky Mountain High

So we made it to Breckenridge and back. We left Ames about 3:30 Thurdsay afternoon. We picked up Pat's friend, Natalie, in Des Moines about four. Then we were off.

We stopped at Beertopia in Omaha, and found ourselves trying to get back onto the interstate after a major accident. We were stuck in traffic for forty-five minutes, but played trivia to pass the time. The rest of the trip went uneventful until we got around North Platte, Nebraska when the sky decided to open up and let loose with tons of rain and lightning. It slowed us down a bit, but we kept going.

We arrived in Breckenridge at four in the morning mountain time. (That's five for central.) We were able to get into our condo early and we promptly unloaded and went to sleep. (This is a picture from our balcony.)

Friday morning, the group that we were with decided to head down to downtown Breckenridge for breakfast. We went by Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company and they invited us in for lunch. (It was almost eleven at this point.) We had a yummy lunch, then walked over to the visitor center for information on things to do. The group trekked back up to their respective condos and some of us decided to go on a hike. I went hiking with the group that decided to go. It ended up being a 3 1/2 hour hike. The scenery was gorgeous! Unfortunately, the hike ended up pushing me into altitude sickness. I had a headache and nausea for the rest of the trip.

Jason had decided to stay at the condo and wait for the other people in our condo to show up. After the hike, he helped move the grill from one of the condo's to ours so we could have a group grill out. They cooked brats and hamburgers while I made Alpine chicken. Everyone had a good time and had plenty to eat. Dan declared that the Kringla I made was excellent and he would need the recipe for Stephanie. "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" played in the background. We had a good time talking to all of our guildmates and trying to remember their real names.

Saturday morning, everyone was invited over to our condo for breakfast casserole, and to discuss the days events. It was decided we would take the free shuttle to the Breckenridge Brewery for lunch and then most people were going to walk through the town and do some shopping afterwards. That night, Natalie's brother had given the group a few tickets to his orchestra concert. Jason and I babysat while the concert goers were gone. We watched a lot of partial movies since the DVD player wasn't working the greatest. After everyone showed back up after the concert, we played a game of "Apples to Apples" and took group photos.

Sunday morning there was a lot of hugging as most of us were leaving to go home. Matt had to drop off his rental car, so we picked him and Lana up at the Denver airport. The trip home was pretty uneventful. We followed a bad storm into Iowa, but it didn't get as bad as the one on the way to Colorado. It was a fourteen and a half hour trip home by the time all was done. We had a very meowy little kitty. She was very upset with us and didn't sleep at all. She got kicked to the upstairs around five.

Jason did have a little altitude sickness on Sunday, but it seemed to go away after we got to Denver. We had a really good time, despite some afflictions, and loved meeting everyone. I put our photos up on our flickr website. (If there not there yet, they will be soon!)

A note for my mom: We saw signs that said "Avalanche Area" and it reminded me of "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers". I tried not to yell.

To Colorado

We start our trip for Colorado today. We should arrive early in the morning. We can't get into our room until noon, but we do have some people willing to share their room with us until then. Jason's excited because we were planning on stopping in Omaha on the way to have supper. I said we could stop at Beertopia as well. He was thrilled. I figured we'd be getting to Omaha about 5:30 which is a little to early for supper, so I figured a short side trip wouldn't hurt.

Happy Birthdays!

This post is a little late in coming. Ethan's birthday was Friday, and while Jason and I couldn't go back for his party, I'm sure he had a wonderful time. (It's hard to believe he's already two!)

There was also and unofficial birthday on Saturday. Our vet decided that Zara's birthday was the first of August. We didn't do anything except come up with this great idea for a toy. She loves playing with her mousies and she's been able to play with one of the balls of yarn I have. We tied one of her mousies to the yarn and it's her new favorite toy! Jason played with her with her new toy until she was exhausted. She flopped over on the bed and laid there panting. She would try and bat at it a little, but she looked so tired. The next night I took some video of it.
Today she slept for most of the day because she's been so worn out from playing. It's her own fault because she's always at the basement door to go downstairs to play.

Jason and I went to a local park where I rollerbladed for a little while. I haven't done that in a couple of years. When Jason got them for me for our anniversary, I was practicing in our driveway. That's not a very good place to practice. After I was done rollerblading, we shot some hoops. It was fun to do some different exercise and be outside.

On a sadder note, my best friend Heather called and left me a message. Her boyfriends' father passed away last week. I'm sorry for his loss and we'll keep them in our thoughts in prayers.

Trips

My parents left on their mission trip today. They were headed to South Dakota with a group from their church. They'll be there for a little over a week. By the time they get back home, Jason and I will be in Colorado for a very short vacation. We're meeting some friends of ours that we play World of Warcraft with. Colorado was the most central location for the majority of people and I believe there are about twenty-five people that are going to be there. We're pretty excited! We don't have solid plans as to what we are for sure going to do, but I'm sure we'll have a good time. And yes, we're driving.

New Look

Since Jason was getting tired of being razzed about his gray hair (...Matt), he decided he wanted me to help him dye it. We went to Walmart where Jason picked out a color (natural light golden brown, for all who are interested) and we dyed his hair. He looks more his age now and I think he did a really good job picking a color close to his natural hair. I think he likes it, but is disappointed that his hair grows so quickly and he will need to cut it in a few weeks.

He also rode a friends motorcycle for a little bit today as well. Since we don't have the money for a motorcycle right now, his friend said he could borrow it for a little bit. Jason wants to keep his lessons in mind and has decided it's much easier if he rides a motorcycle every now and then. I did get a some video of it. He had a really good time and can't wait for us to be able to get his own.

We also went to see the new Harry Potter movie. It was pretty good. There were quite a few things that were different or left out entirely, but it was still good. I've only read the 6th book once and it made me very emotional, so I haven't read it since. I'm trying to convince myself to read it again, just so I know what's different from the book to the movie. Maybe later in the summer.

Good Luck, Allison

Today was Allison's last day with the Chemistry/Toxicology section and her first day in the Virology section. She still worked with us in Chem/Tox for the day, but she's just moving across the hall. We'll still see her everyday, but we'll still miss her. (We're still going to blame her for stuff though!) We wish her luck in her new position! (That's what she said!)

Tough Times

It's been a really long and emotional week. Last Wednesday I was pulled into our department heads office. I was told that I was a good worker and that he didn't know what was going to happen with the "restructuring" that was planned for the diagnostic lab. He then also told me that if I wanted to apply to other positions in the lab, I was more than welcome to do so. Basically it was his way of saying my job isn't secure and that he wouldn't blame me for wanting to get out. That was the Wednesday my computer didn't work (and why I was so upset about it breaking down).

Monday was the all diagnostic lab meeting where our director ever so gracefully glossed over anything about lay-offs other than that they were trying to eliminate as few positions as possible and the positions that needed to be filled were going to try to go to the people that have already worked in the diagnostic lab. Clear as mud, right? We then had our section meeting shortly after that. (Monday morning flew by.) Once we got done with business, our section head told us our probationary employee (her last day of probation is Friday) will no longer be with us after this week. We all really like and she will be missed, other than all the work she did. So our lab of six technicians, the smallest one in the diagnostic lab, who was really short a person with six, is now down to five. She did apply for a job down the hall, so we're praying for her, but our workload just tripled.

I have updated my resume and have been looking at some positions, not just with Iowa State. I would like to stay with Iowa State, but I know the whole university is feeling the crunch, not just the diagnostic lab. Jason and I keep praying, and I still go to work. I'm working on a project that will hopefully bring more money into our part of the lab, but that's still in progress and may be a few weeks, if not months before it's fully operational. I just hope that my friends and family are doing well. I love you all!

Happy Birthday!

I just wanted to wish my dad a very happy birthday! Enjoy your day!!

Up and Running

I have a functioning computer again, thanks to our friend Pete. He took the operating system off my old hard drive and worked for him at his house. Didn't work at our house, so we took the whole computer over. He found a worm and two trojans that have been on the computer for a while. He also found out the power supply didn't work. After switching the power supply out and getting rid of the bugs, it works! Thank you so much Pete! (He's getting his own batch of kringla. It's the least I could do.)

Technology. Isn't it wonderful?

So last night I came home and made egg salad. I put the eggs on the stove to boil and turned on the burner. I left the room and a little while later I smelt something burning. I had turned on the wrong burner and the burner cover over the on burner was starting to burn. I turned the burner off, put some cold water in the sink, grabbed the metal grilling tongs and put the cover in the water. Major crisis averted. Turned on the correct burner and started to cook some eggs.

I went to turn on my computer to start moving some files to a flash drive and to update some files. I turned it on and it won't start because of an operating system error. I call my friend Matt (Jason is still at softball at this point) to see what I should do. The computer wants me to put in the operating system disk so I look for it, find it, and can't get the CD-Rom drive to open. Matt walks me through changing the CD-Rom drive from my computer with his computer (not the first part stolen from it) and we start it again. The computer doesn't recognize it. Long story short, the hard drive from my old computer (the one I had in college) has gone bad. Seeing as it's an old hard drive in computer years, it will only work if it is plugged into a "master" cord. Once we unplug it from the "master" cord, it works fine. That's good! Except that all of our digital camera pictures, bank account information, resumes, and other stuff I use on a regular basis are on my old hard drive. At this point I have taken my computer apart roughly seven times, it's late, I'm hot, tired, and sweaty, and still have to wash the dishes. I deem this project over with for the night.

Jason had come home in the middle of it, before I re-tore apart the computer. Once we got the computer to actually operate, he decided to get on-line to World of Warcraft to see if some of our computer friends are on. They aren't, but does get some help from some of the other computer people that play. This is the point where I decided it's late so I start washing dishes and getting ready for bed. Jason works on it a bit more and finally gets a hold of our friend Pete. Pete has seen this problem before and can help us recover some of the files on the hard drive. It's going to be a long process, but fixable.

This morning, when I got up and out of bed at 7, we had no electricity. It came on again sometime before I had to go to work and was only off for about an hour. So it's been a great 24 hours. I get to look for a new computer while I'm still looking for a new dryer.

Anniversary

It was just a year ago that I started working at the vet college in the VDL in chem/tox. It seems like I've been there forever. Not because it's a bad job, but the other lab techs there welcomed me into their "family" and made me feel at home. It's been wonderful working with these people. They make it worth going to work! Jason and I celebrated last night by going to La Fuente for supper. Hopefully I'll get to work here for many years to come!

Full House

This weekend we had Matt, Pat, and Adam down. We had a really good time and laughed a lot. Saturday night, our other friend Pat and Adam's friend John came over for supper. (Great Plains pizza. Soooo yummy!) We had quite the room full of people. It was difficult to get around the table to the kitchen. (Our living room isn't very big and we don't have a dining room.) It was almost like playing musical chairs.

We did have a lot of good food though. I made blueberry crumb bars, which was a new recipe for me. They were delicious! The sweet corn people were out on the corner as well. They haven't been able to be at our corner since they are putting in new street lights, so it was a wonderful surprise when I got home Saturday that they were out. We grilled brats for lunch on Saturday, and had the sweet corn. It was really good. They are supposed to be done with the construction for the street lights on Monday, so hopefully we'll see the corn people more often after next week.

Raspberries!

Our raspberries are ready! I don't get very many at a time, but it's a start. Here's how many I had today. I think I'll just end up freezing them until I have enough to do something with. There are a lot more red ones out there, so hopefully I'll have enough to make something soon.

Jason finished the door downstairs. It's a little too wide, so it doesn't close all the way, but we don't have the right equipment to get it so it will fit. We'll just have to put that project on hold for now. Zara can't open the door, and that's all that matters.

Jason also decided to shave off his beard. This is only the second time he's done that since he and I have been together. Doesn't he look nice? He was in the middle of talking to me when I took the picture, but he still looks good. I don't know how long he'll keep it like that. Maybe most of the summer.

Zara has been having a lot of fun being able to run upstairs. Jason and I let her run around up there for a little while during the day. She loves sitting in the south window and watching the birds in the trees. Her favorite thing to do is bolt up the stairs and turn and look at you at the landing. She looks at you like "aren't you coming with me?" She does run back and forth up there so it's good exercise for her. She likes to be chased too since there are quite a few hiding spots up there. She's really good about not getting into any of the fabric or the open box of yarn. I guess birdies are much more interesting.

Happy Fourth

The fourth of July was somewhat uneventful for us. Jason worked in the morning, and I woke up with a major headache. I took some stuff to help it and went back to bed, meanwhile it rained all morning and well into the afternoon. When it had stopped raining, we grilled Iowa chops and zucchini packets on the grill as well as hot dogs for Matt. We played games until 2 in the morning. (We completely missed the fireworks, but could see the traffic for a couple of hours to get out of town.)
While I was sleeping, Zara had brought down one of her mousies and put it by my hand. She laid down and batted at it for awhile before I realized it was there. I don't think she liked that we slept in until 10, but we were really tired. But, all in all, it wasn't a bad holiday. It's sunny today and still cool. Not July weather at all, but we'll take it.

It Floats

My dad has been building a kayak. He got hooked on kayaking during his and Mom's trip to Alaska. So much so that he decided to build one. This past week, he finished it. I'm not sure how long it took him, but they went to Alaska last August. They got it out of the basement and sent it on it's maiden voyage sometime this week. Every time I go to visit, he wants to take me kayaking, but we usually don't have the time. Maybe Jason and I will find a weekend to go visit and learn how to kayak. (We won't mention the time before Dad took his homemade kayak out. Something about lots of water.)

I Scream

So I made ice cream today. It wasn't frozen solid when we ate it, but it was good. The recipe I used didn't make as much as we thought, but that's all right. Now we know the recipe is good and know how to make more. I also made one of my camp favorites, gorp. Jason had never heard trailmix called gorp, but he liked it just the same.

I turned off our newly fixed air conditioning to open windows today. It was so nice. Very windy, but nice. I'm hoping that it will stay like this for a couple of days so we can finally get our garden weeded. (And an FYI to Jason's mom, our raspberries are almost ready!)

We also saw the Transformers movie yesterday. It was really good, if you like that type of movie. If you like the first one, you'll like this one.

At Last

We got our air conditioner fixed today. It's nice having a not humid house. Our dehumidifier was working almost not stop over the last week. Zara even feels better now that it's not quite so hot and sticky. She actually plays while she's on the main floor. She's been loving getting to be in our bedroom. She especially like sleeping on the bed, right next to my legs. I guess Jason moves too much in his sleep. She does like to pounce on his feet, though. Zara has found a lot of hiding places for herself. She probably even smells the mouse that was running around in our room almost a year ago. The mouse which prompted us to get Zara!
The pictures I posted are of the bread Mom and I made last weekend, and the sort of pie/torte we made for Father's day. They both tasted delicious! I'm making some loaves of bread tonight, since it's a lot cooler now. I'm hoping to use it for sandwiches tomorrow for lunch before we go see the Transformers movie. This is one of maybe three movies we'll see this summer. The other two being Ice Age 3, which is out next week, and the Harry Potter movie, coming out in July. (I can't wait for July 17th!!!)