That Hawaii thing?

It's like Delta's reading my blog, and says, Oh Yeah! She's traveling with us to Hawaii! We really should call her & let her know her flights all changed.

Seriously,

Got a phone call today saying we're leaving the same time, but getting to Hawaii an hour later. I'm sure the flight numbers are different, but I didn't have those memorized or anything- I'm just glad we have a little more time to find our connection in ATL & LAX.

Our return flight has totally changed, leaving 4 hours later, having just one layover instead of two, and getting in at approximately the same time. I'm thrilled with this change- 4 extra hours in Hawaii, and only one layover to deal with, and it's in Atlanta, an airport I'm very familiar with. And it's warm, which means there's less of a chance of weather delays. Previously, one of the connections was in Cincinnati, where I was worried about winter weather delaying us so close to getting home. No more worries. Hakuna Matata.

So that's that.
Did I mention I'm excited?

Can't wait to see the sites and come back with pictures! I think anyone could take a good picture in Hawaii- whether it be with a DSLR camera of a cameraphone & micro sd card- everything is picturesque.

25 Things

25 Things I Love About My Husband, For His 25th Birthday:

1. His smile
   
2. His eyes
   
3. His sense of humor
   
4. His patience with me
5. His thoughtfulness
6. His support of me and my interests
7. His willingness and ability to tackle any project
   
8. His love of music
   
9. His love of reading
   
10. His love of Star Trek
    
11. His love of his family 
12. His interest in building things and working with his hands 
13. His willingness to help with whatever needs to be done  
14. His willingness to play board games with me
15. His willingness to pick up & go on road trips or camping 
16. The way he plays and interacts with our dog
    
17. The way he plays and interacts with our nephews and the other kids in our life
18. The way he takes care of our house
    
19. The way he cares for his friends 
20. The way he lets me ask to go out for ice cream then pretends it's a surprise.
21. The way he shows affection to me in public
22. The way he joyfully serves in "behind the scenes" roles at church
23. The way he looks at me 
24. The way he loves Jesus
25. The way he loves me

Happy Birthday, Josh! I love you!

Did you know: Today is also the 4th wedding anniversary of certain friends of ours, who have a certain announcement to make . Also, on the day of their wedding four years ago, Josh's 21st birthday, Josh proposed to me . January 29th is a special day around here!

Aloha!

About that Newlywed-Game plan... We did it! Everyone had fun laughing at each other's answers, and laughing when spouse's answers didn't match (Especially when the question is "Who takes longer to get ready in the morning?" and each spouse points at the other!). We lost, though. We have been married the shortest amount of time of the group, so maybe we were at a disadvantage?

One question where Josh & I answered differently was "What has been you best vacation?" Josh said our honeymoon in Wisconsin; I said my favorite was our jaunt to Bloomington. Listening to our answers, I thought... wow, we go on really boring vacations. I mean, the paradise of northern Wisconsin was peaceful, and Bloomington is a happenin' town, but others had been to Europe, beach vacations...

Our "favorite vacation" answer, pretty soon, will be the same, though! I haven't mentioned it much on the blog, but we've been planning the trip for months... to Hawaii!

I spent part of my childhood in Hawaii, and haven't been back since I moved away 13 years ago. I have many happy memories there, and Josh has said it'd be neat to get me back there. And, I mean, it's Hawaii, how cool would a Hawaiian vacation be? Enter the perfect opportunity: Josh's cousin's destination wedding!

We leave in less than a month, first to the wedding on the Big Island then to spend a few days on Oahu where I lived. We're staying in bed and breakfasts on both islands, and I'm excited to be a little outside of the mainstream tourist thoroughfares and show Josh some local spots. I'm bummed I can't pull off kama'aina rates while site-seeing, though...

The anticipation mounts!

Now, I wonder if a magic weight loss pill will make me look good in a bathing suit...

Brides-to-be, look here!

Speaking of Newlyweds...

My sister has started a blog! Bubbly Bride is all about wedding planning and ideas, and she's doing a great job collecting pictures and inspiration from around the web. Incidentally, she is NOT planning a wedding right now- she just had one last summer- but she gathered so many ideas while planning her own and working as a wedding coordinator at a local banquet hall and chapel that she wanted to share, and perhaps make a business out of it some day!

Right now, she's doing an A to Z Weddings series, highlighting an item or idea for each letter of the alphabet, and finding great photos to illustrate. Go over there and share some of your ideas and experience!

Best. Newlyweds. Ever.

In the smaller service at church we go to, we were tapped to play The Newlywed Game with two other couples up front before the sermon. I sat on a chair in stage next to one member of the other couples, and Josh and the other spouses went out of the room. We have been married 2.5 years, another couple 3, and the third for 20 years, so we were the true "newlyweds" in the game.

Those of us on stage were asked what our first date was. I named the restaurant we went to, then even mentioned we went to Best Buy after dinner. The other couples just said they went to "dinner." I thought that was unfair & was being a bit too general. We were asked what our spouse would say our biggest Pet Peeve is. I had a couple in mind, but settled on "Grammar Mistakes". The others named "Being Late" and "His Snoring". The last question for us was "Which of the following ice cream flavors describe your marriage: Peaches & Cream, Rocky Road, Vanilla, or Tutti Fruity" Ha! I said Peaches & Cream; the other two couples said Tutti Fruity.

Next came the moment of truth. Our spouses were brought out and asked the same questions, to see if the answers matched up. We amazed the crowd- not only did Josh name the restaurant AND "Best Buy" during the first question, he got the other questions right as well- the only spouse to get all three answers correct! Best newlyweds ever, right?!

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So, the sermon series going on at church is about Song of Songs, which is why there was a Newlywed Game.

What's different about this series is that, typically, when I've heard sex talked about in a church setting, the main idea is "Don't Do It. Don't Think About It. Don't Talk About It." Perhaps I have just heard these talks pre-marriage, but that's been the general gist. This series, however, takes a different approach.

• A health sexual relationship is critical for a healthy marriage.
  
• A healthy marriage is critical for a healthy family
  
• Healthy families are critical for a healthy community of Christ-followers
  
• A healthy community of Christ-followers is God's instrument for accomplishing His purposes in the world. There is no plan B.

Based on the above logic, my pastor claims that "Healthy sexuality, love and fidelity in relationships are as much on the mind of God as prayer, justice, mercy, and spiritual growth." It's a bold statement. I like that. Through this series, my ever-and-always-adoring husband has been even more adoring, and I like that, too. I've been more conscious of my words I use towards him. And, our small group bible study, for lack of other ideas, has been going along with the series, using discussion questions to guide our time.

This week's sermon was, um, racier than the previous two. And there's lots of good thoughts there, but not so much for public discussion. And the small groups ministry agreed, and didn't even publish a study guide. And we're supposed to be leading our meeting tonight, with nothing to go on. Fun stuff. Our plans? A lighthearted Newlywed Game that everyone plays! Can't hurt, right? Well, unless you look at some of the "newlywed game" questions I'm finding online about breast size and vaginal dryness and other really not-appropriate things to talk about. I'll definitely weed those out. Couples can have their own discussions about the sermon topic privately.

The Google Keywords in the post are very, very sketchy.

Party Time!

Remember I mentioned that nephew who had a birthday last weekend and the accompanying mathematical oddity? Alisse got it right- his brother is 2, and he turned his brother's age, cubed- 8. Next year, Connor will be 3 and Mason will be Connor's age, squared- 9! Here's some of the party highlights!

Meijer Savings!

Typically, when I go pick up deals at drugstores or grocery stores, I check various couponing blogs, let them figure out the deals for me, and then follow the instructions to a T. This week, however, I stepped out on a limb and tried to figure out the deals for myself- not everything, just a few. I was happy with the results:

Can you believe I got all this for under $10?

From the left:
2 cookie mixes, on sale 2 for $3
- .40 off 1, doubled to .80
- .50 off 1, doubled to $1.00
TOTAL: $1.20 for 2

Steamfresh Dinner for 2, $6.99
- $6.99 - won a Free coupon
TOTAL: $0.00

3 Green Giant boxed vegetables, on sale $1 each
- .50 off 2, doubled to $1
- .25 off 1, doubled to .50
TOTAL: $1.50 for 3

Betty Crocker Potatoes, on sale for $1
- .35 off 1, doubled to .70
TOTAL: .30

Brownie Mix, on sale for $1.34
No coupons here, just needed this for a recipe I want to try
TOTAL: $1.34

Warm Delights, on sale for $1 each
- .50 off 2, doubled to $1
TOTAL: $1 for 2

3 Grands Biscuits, on sale for $1 each
- .50 off 2, doubled to $1
- .35 off 1, doubled to .70
TOTAL: $1.30 for 3

3 loaves Aunt Millie's bread, $3.19
- Buy 1, get 2 free
TOTAL: $3.19

GRAND TOTAL: $9.83
Sales + Coupon savings (according to receipt): $28.13

Not too shabby. This stocked me up for a long while in the prepared-food department. As a bonus, there were coupon peelies on the Grands biscuits I can use later, and the bread is whole-grain and HFCS-free, which I wouldn't have bought otherwise but know is better for me. Another bonus: I still have a significant part of the grocery budget left for the week! I'm no couponing expert, but having days like this makes me think I'm not a total couponing failure, either.

Freeeezing!

It's cold.

REALLY cold*.

Like, a week ago when I saw the forecasts, I started praying that our pipes wouldn't freeze, because they freeze with much warmer temperatures than the -10 that was in the forecasts. They tend to freeze when wind chills get into the single digits, so, with the actual temperature below zero, I wasn't optimistic.

Earlier this winter, we left water dripping around the house, and the cold water pipes froze for a couple days. This time around, we were careful to leave the cold water dripping, to avoid that. Yesterday, the hot water pipes froze. Alas, neither is immune.

Around 4am last night, the hot water pipes thawed, and now BOTH hot and cold water are dripping from every faucet. Except the bathtub. Because the bathtub drain is frozen, even though we put salt water down the drain hoping to avoid this. My favorite part: the air coming up from the bathtub drain is so cold that water near the drain on the surface of the bathtub has turned to ice.

In case you worry, our house stays a comfortable temperature. I won't be turning into an Joannasicle anytime soon. But, I might get stinky, since I can't take a shower until the bathtub drain thaws!**

I <3 old houses, really.

*This is coming from the girl who grew up in Georgia & Hawaii. My readers from Montana & Alaska are probably not particularly sympathetic.

** Just kidding! We have loving family & friends who have offered for us to come over should we need a shower. And, yes, I've taken them up on the offer at least once.

Winter House Projects: Laundry Room Floor

When we moved into our house over a year ago, we knew the laundry floor needed to be replaced.

The stick-on tiles were old, and many had broken or come up entirely. The room is also a mud room and has the utility closet, so it gets a lot of abuse. My husband & father-in-law weren't totally convinced the floor wasn't sagging, too.

As for me, the broken tiles and overall condition of the floor made it hard to clean, so it was in a perpetual state of grossness, which was annoying when I'd accidentally drop clean laundry on it, only to have the clean laundry pick up the dirt from the floor.

Enter my superhero of a husband.

Unlike me, he had both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day off. What did he spend his vacation doing? Installing a new floor.

We had picked up some new stick-on tile on sale, and he & his dad had determined that the floor WAS solid, so it didn't need to be rebuilt. He printed out directions from This Old House and fearlessly jumped into the project. He hammered luaun into place to create a flat floor, and had to use some sort of leveling compound between the pieces. Did I mention the floor wasn't exactly level to start?

He then stuck the tiles on carefully, and had to cut the tiles at the edge of the room to match. I helped with this a little bit, and helped move around the washer & dryer (and, eventually the chest freezer) a bit too, but I was really not very useful. This was all Josh.


To finish it off, he installed quarter-round along the walls to make for a cleaner edge, and even figured a way to hide the cord for the newly-moved chest freezer, so we don't trip over it all the time. I don't have a totally-finished-room picture, but, believe me, I love it. It seems brighter, cleaner, and definitely less gross. As a bonus, we found that we could move the chest freezer next to the washer/dryer, so it's more accessible AND we can now hide the shelf full of tools & dog stuff in the closet rather than in the open.

Now to figure out what to do about the awesome stenciling. (do you see it?)

Birthday Math

I went to my nephew's birthday party today.

He just turned his brother's age, cubed. Next year he will turn his brother's age, squared.


How old are these two nephews of mine?

pictures forthcoming

Links today

Rather than needing tape drives to back up all the links I come across that I'm bursting to share, I'm putting a few here for your perusal.

• An atheist discusses why Africa needs missionaries
• I make a book display in the library for each new sermon series. The upcoming series: Song of Solomon. Yeah. PG rated, at least. Sex Begins in the Kitchen made the cut, but Intended for Pleasure was vetoed. Less scandalous marriage books filled out the shelf.
• Have I mentioned Grace has a garden? Sara posts about why, quoting from a New York Times article by Michael Pollan.
• A post about why to consider Fair Trade- I got a fair trade purse for Christmas & a matching wallet for my birthday and I'm SO excited. More on that later.
  

Ups & Downs

Ben Stein in the New York times today:

We are more than our investments. We are more than the year-to-year or day-by-day changes in our net worth. We are what we do for charity. We are how we treat our family and friends. We are how we treat our dogs and cats. We are what we do for our community and our nation. If you had $100 million or $100,000 a year ago and now you have a lot less, you are still the same person. You are not a balance sheet, at least not one denominated in money, as was explained to me recently.

Losing and making money are not moral issues so long as you are being honest. You may have a lot less money as this year ends than you did two years ago. But you are just as good or bad a person as you were then. It is a myth that money determines who you are, and if you have gotten over that myth by now, then 2008 will have been a very good year.

We've been using Mint.com to track all of our accounts, and I really like it. It allows our brick-and-mortar account, online bank accounts, mortgage, and even Paypal to be pulled side by side to see balances and transactions. each transaction can be labeled and categorized, so I get nifty graphs of our budget categories for me to analyze like crazy (or, more often, cringe at). I can see, finally, how much we spend in total for restaurants in a month, or how much we save when we bring our lunches each day, or whether a tankless water heater or new siding would save us enough on our electric bill in the long run to make up for the upfront cost.

The downside goes along with the quote above. Along with all those accounts, our retirement accounts show up in Mint as well. This is a new thing for me to track, since previously I just got quarterly updates on my 401k, and didn't ever see interim numbers. Now, I can see day-by-day graphs along with the ups and downs of the market! As I watch, as most people have, the market fluctuate in these last few months, I have to remind myself- this number, there, doesn't matter. Especially not right now. Heck, I won't see that money for 40 years- a fluctuation today or tomorrow really doesn't matter. What matters is that we're planning & saving steadily- slow & steady wins the race, right? And, as Ben Stein said above, on the scale of things, there are a lot more important things to focus on than my 401k balance.

Christmas '08

Better late than never, eh?

Butterflies

The Writers Almanac is a daily segment on NPR by Garrison Keillor where he highlights a poem and other interesting "on this date in history" facts, mostly birthdays of authors. Today there was another event featured besides a literary birthday:

It's an important anniversary for lepidopterists — people who study, collect, or observe butterflies and moths. On this day in 1975, an amateur naturalist, Kenneth Brugger, discovered where monarch butterflies from North America spend the winter. Scientists had been studying monarch migration for more than 30 years, and they had found out almost everything about the butterflies, except where they spent their winters.

Kenneth Brugger was an American textile engineer living in Mexico City. He remembered driving through a storm of monarchs once on a vacation, in the mountains west of Mexico City. He went back there, but he couldn't find anything, and the local farmers wouldn't give him any information. Then he brought his Mexican wife Catalina, and the locals warmed up. A farmer led them up the side of a remote mountain, up to 10,000 feet, and suddenly the fir trees were so thick with butterflies that they looked orange instead of green. Scientists estimated that there were 4 million butterflies per acre.

Brugger was elated, but he couldn't fully appreciate what he was seeing — he was colorblind.

Nine years to the day after that beautiful but underappreciated discovery, I entered the world.

Here's hoping I keep my eyes open for "butterflies", learn what God has for me to see, and fully appreciate it!

On a fun note, the "poem" for today in the Writer's Almanac is not exactly a poem, but definitely something I remember from childhood:

Denmark, Kangaroo, Orange
by Kevin Griffith
Pick a number from one to ten. Okay, now multiply that number by nine. You will have a two-digit number. Add those two digits. Now subtract five from that number. Take that number and find its corresponding letter in the alphabet (1=A, 2=B, etc.). Now think of a country that begins with that letter. Now name an animal that begins with the last letter of the country. Finally, name a fruit that begins with the last letter of that animal.

As a child, it was "magic"- now I see right through it, but it's still cute. Anyone else remember it?