The Mundane Life

Well not a whole lot has happened since last Monday but I see it's been a week now since I posted.  All that is about to change though.  Harvest started already.  It's still not quite going full force yet but most of the guys are in the field some.  Which means my job is about to start!  I went in a couple times last week and am going in tomorrow all day.  Next week I'll start full time.  Then until harvest is over my life will consist of purely school and the elevator.  Except for maybe Friday nights.  I don't think I'll be working Friday nights.  Well, and Sundays of course.  I really don't mind though.  It's a pretty fun job. 
So far so good with school, too.  I think both classes I will enjoy somewhat but both are going to take a lot of work.  Especially this week in Anatomy when we're doing basic chemistry stuff.  I've never had a chem class in my life.  It's only one chapter thank goodness.  I'm not too fond of it.  I'm excited to actually get into the differnt systems of the body.  That I'm interested in.
I think I'll like my Spanish class too.  Last week after the first one I left feeling completely overwhelmed and thinking it was hardly worth it.  This week I'm feeling a lot better and more excited about it.  I've already made a couple friends in there too.  One whose wife is an OT and is more than willing to help me in getting my observation hours done and one who is from Cullman, AL of all places!  Cullman is about 45 minutes south of Athens so we were pretty excited to make that connection.

*Sidenote:  Right now we have a guy from Haiti living with us.  He first came eight or so years ago through the Haitian Hearts program.  You may or may not have heard of it.  Basically we were his host family while he came to the states for heart surgery.  About a month ago he finally got a visa (after numerous other tries) and is here to stay for a few months.  His name is Steve.  Actually his name is Mike Steevens Domonique but we'll just go with Steve.  So if you read something about Steve, that's who you're reading about.

*Another sidenote:  Since being here he has really taken to the black culture that we have in the states and tries so hard to be like that.  He loves hip hop and always tries to dress like a rapper.  Problem is, all he can find around our house is old seedcorn hats and even older electronics to do the job.  Today he is sporting a seedcorn hat while jamming to songs on someone's reealllly old walkman!  I love him!

The Rock That Was Starved

I had the privilege of spending today with my two dear friends, Erin and Lisa.  We went to Starved Rock and Mattheisen (sp?) State Parks.  Lots of stairs were climbed.  Our first destination was Lovers Leap.  It was awfully romantic but we quickly tired of that destination and proceeded to Eagle Cliff.  There, we rebelliously climbed over the wooden walkway.  Yeah- we really know how to push limits and break rules:)  We tried taking a picture where we were jumping in the air.  It was a failed attempt but I actaully think it's my favorite one out of all that we took.

It was a really fun day.  I would say it was relaxing, but all those stairs kinda threw a wrench into the whole "relaxation" thing.  But fun nevertheless. 

I was supposed to start my classes tonight but got a phone call saying it was cancelled.  I was really bummed. I'm excited to get started with this whole school thing so hopefully my class tomorrow morning will still be in session! 

My Going Away Party

Sunday night was my going away party.  It was fun, sad, sappy......

A few of the ladies from church.  Louise, Kat, Corrine and Granny Barnes.  Granny is the oldest in church.  She is Louise and Miss Barbara's mother.  She looks like she could keel over any minute but she's actually pretty spry and active still.

JR and Louise ended up sitting here together at this little table for two and Kerwin decided they needed a candle!  JR is a jokester.  Between his accent and lack of teeth he can be hard to understand, especially when he's laughing hysterically at his own jokes.  But if he's laughing, we just laugh along with him even if we have no clue what he's saying:)

The whole Athens crew.  There were a couple missing that couldn't make it but for the most part this has been my church and my family the last four years.  I do love them!

Whenever everyone is at the Edelman house for something (such as a going away party) a very hard core, very competetive game of basketball ensues.  No, they did not get in a water fight when they were finished playing ball.  That is pure sweat.  Disgusting!!!

Cassie snapped this one of the kids flocking me when I went over to the preschool Monday morning quick before I left.  I just thought it was kinda cute:)

This week has been spent mostly trying to get everything organized and unpacked.  A lot of my stuff is in my grandparents basement right now.  Like my bed and kitchen stuff that I don't need while living at my parents.  But even so, it's hard to condense what I have here into one small bedroom.  Especially when, over the last four years, my bedroom and the rest of the upstairs has been converted into storage for my parents.  ("Oh, we don't use this too often, let's just toss it in Sarah's closet."  or "I have so many cookbooks in this kitchen, maybe I'll put some of the overflow into Sarah's room.")  Things like that.  But it's working out.

I have a job!  For now anyways.  Once harvest starts I'll be working at the grain elevator weighing trucks and testing moisture on the grain.  I worked there my freshman year of college and loved it so I'm pretty excited to do it again.  After harvest is over I'm not sure what I'll be doing but at least I have something for now. 

Yesterday I went down to ICC and got my books.  Besides shelling out all this money for tuition and books, I'm pretty excited about starting a couple classes.  Ask me again in the middle of the semester and I might not feel that same way.  But for now I'm excited. 

Welp, That's All Folks

It's been a good run.

Tickling My Funny Bone

I don't know how many of you have read the lastest Reader's Digest, but last night I just really got a kick out of one of the jokes. 


On his way to perform at a graveside service, the bagpiper gets lost.  After many wrong turns, he finally arrives, but the minister and mourners have already gone.  Only the grave diggers remain, and they're eating lunch.  Not knowing what else to do, the bagpiper begins to play.  The workers put down their lunches and weep as the man plays "Amazing Grace".  When he finishes, he packs up his bagpipes and heads for his car.  As he opens the door, he hears one of the workers say, "I've never seen anything like that before, and I've been putting in septic tanks for 20 years!"


I laughed out loud!

A Pull Tractor, Kentucky, A New Baby and A Roommate

The last week has been pretty busy.  While the Rockville group was still here we had a couple volunteers come down for the next week.  The day they left we had another friend come visit the preschool and stay for the weekend.  While she was here we went to a tractor pull.  Or a pull tractor as one of my kids called it.  Whatever you call it, it was pretty boring.  And really loud.  Like plug your ears unless you want to go deaf loud.  We were there for about four hours and only about 10 minutes of those four hours were close to exciting.  But, it was an experience I guess.

I left Sunday right after church to go up to Kentucky Lake for a couple days.  For several years, all the Hodel's went but as families grew it died out all too quickly.  My aunt and uncle still go faithfully though and I was able to crash in their cabin.  I got to see Kristi for the first time since I visited Magdalena last September.  I didn't realize how much I missed her until I had a little time with her.  Two gold stars to the first member of the Hodel family to tell me where this picture was taken:)

Tuesday night I drove home, stopping for gas in Athens before I went the last mile to my apartment.  Tuesday unfortunately ended in a late night rescue by Cassie.  Good thing she was around!!

Wednesday was the first day since the middle of July that was normal in a sense that we didn't have anyone around to entertain and keep company.  It was bliss.  Thursday we got the long awaited phone call that Mark and Bekah had their baby.  We had been planning to swing by their house after work and take a present to Bekah cause it was her birthday.  Instead we took two birthday presents to the hospital- one for her and one for sweet little Natalie Rebekah:)

After seeing them, me and Cassie had one last roomie party.  She'll be gone all this week and won't get back until late next Saturday.  Sunday is my going away party so last night was really our last night of living together and hanging out in the evening.  Our roommate party was complete with pizza, a movie, chinese checkers and mancala.  One this is certain, I will miss living with Miss Cassie Bertsch.