For Your Viewing Pleasure

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Your welcome, ladies!

We got a new car!

I wrecked my car that I've had for 6 years back in January. It was drivable, but it prodded us along to be more serious about car-shopping. (It has over 150,000 miles on it and is a 1998). About a month ago, it died on us as we were driving into Salina. We made it off of the interstate and into a parking lot--thank goodness. We had Nora with us! So, I've been stranded for a month on the days that Joe works. When we've gone somewhere, we've all squeezed into his Ranger. Needless to say, that was a very "comfortable" way to ride. We went to Wichita today to try to find a car. We came across this car and fell in love. It's a 2004 Hyundai Sonata. It has a V-6 and is automatic, but you can shift it if you like. (No thanks, I'm tired of driving a standard!) It has a salvage title, so we were able to pick it up for a mere $6000 after taxes and temp. tag fees. Joe talked to our banker this morning to see if that would be okay, and he said that his whole family drives cars with salvage titles. The damage to this car was in the passenger door, and they completely replaced that. We noticed that the "new" door was the only window that was tinted, so we were able to have them knock a couple hundred off. Then, I asked them to give me a full tank of gas, since we'd driven so far to buy it. They weren't terribly pleased with that idea, but they went ahead and did it. Joe insisted that he drive it home, so I drove my mom's (that we borrowed from her) car back home. It's great so far, and we hope that it lasts us at least as long as my last car did! Here are a couple of pictures of it.

Just Some Pictures!

I don't really have anything to say, but I wanted to post some pictures that I took. A lot of times, I feel just like the yellow iris! The new scrapbook page that I did here is from a challenge on www.scrapadilly.com. I'm pretty proud of it, so I thought I'd show it off. The layout itself wasn't my idea, it was from a sketch by Erica Hildebrand.

A New Ceiling Fan!

This might be really lame, but I'm excited about getting our new ceiling fan installed. My step-dad came over to help Joe install it, while my mom, Nora, and I played in the backyard. Slowly, but surely, we are making our fixer-upper our own!

School's Out for Summer!

I've been really bad about keeping this blog up, so this is going to be a long (and random) entry!

Yesterday was the last day of school. I can't believe that I've been subbing for 3 months already. It has gotten a LOT easier for me now that the kids know me and vice versa. I feel more confident in being able to tell them to sit their little butts down--and they actually listen. He he! I think that I want to go back to school and finish my degree in elementary education, rather than secondary. The high school kids can be fun, but they are also full of stinky attitude. Grade school kids are full of love. They give you hugs, tell you that you look nice, draw you pictures, etc. I'll have to deal with parents a lot more as a grade school teacher, but I think the kids will make it more than worth it. I won't go back to work full-time until Nora is in school, so it will be at least 3 years. I can do school on a part-time basis online and still be able to sub.

I have to brag on my husband. First of all, I just love him to pieces. He's so much fun--he's just a giant kid. He's an awesome father, and Nora adores him. Anyway, my main reason for being so proud of him lately is that he has completed his probational year as a firefighter for Salina Fire Department. I can not believe that it has been a year. After 2 years of college to get his fire science degree and his EMT, it took 5 years to get hired. We tallied it up to be about 16 rounds of testing/interviewing before he finally got the job. Now that is perseverance! I don't know that I would have stuck to something that long--especially when the process kept dragging him through roller coaster of emotions that is trying to get hired. He had his first year review, and it was stellar. The captain that did his review is pretty tough on first year guys, and he had nothing bad to say about Joe. He gave him a 3% raise on top of his bump up the pay scale, so that equates out to about 8 1/2%! Can't beat that with a stick! He's also enrolled in an arson investigation class that will result in him being certified as an arson investigator after two years. On top of that, he's enrolled in a structural collapse class. After he completes the structural collapse class, he will be on the Salina Fire Department special rescue team. If there is any kind of disaster in Kansas that has people that need to be rescued, he will be deployed. They will leave the Salina Airport in a Blackhawk helicopter and be flown to the disaster site. He is so, so excited!

Nora is getting to be such a big girl. I can't believe that she will soon be 20 months old. Wow, does time fly. She runs everywhere, loves to be outside, gives the world's best hugs and kisses, and knows how to throw a mean temper tantrum. We're still waiting on a word explosion, as she only has a few words that she says at this point. She understands everything we say to her and follows instructions, so we know that she's just biding her time before she blows us away with talking! I measured her the other day, and she's 34 inches tall. They say that if you double their height at 2 years old, that is a good indication of how tall they will be as an adult. She still has 5 months left before she turns 2--she could be 6 feet tall or more! I shouldn't be surprised, though. Her daddy is 6'5". I'm 5'7", so I'm positive she'll pass me up--probably by the 5th grade. LOL!