Elizabeth and Sammi

Today was Elizabeth's first day of school. The day was a great day for taking pictures and I was lucky to get a lot of good shots. I also took a lot of pictures of Sammi since I had the oppurtunity to spend some one on one time with her. Here are some of the pictures. For more pictures go to here!

Katrina

I know that not many people read my blog but at the off chance that the right person stumbles upon it I am going to post this entry.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/slightclutter/39718496/in/set-847243/

Emma Green talks to a new friend in the parking lot of Toys-R-Us, a makeshift collection and distribution center for relief supplies. Emma asked me to thank Irene (last name unknown) if I published a photo of her. She was overwhelmed by the kindness of everyone she had met. She is in Houston with her daughter, two grand-daughters (seen in earlier photos), and two grandsons. They were about to head to Humble, Texas to try to find shelter. I loved this family. I gave them my number... just in case.

My second promise was to mention her sisters names, sisters, also from New Orleans, whom she has no idea how to contact, nor does she know where they are.

Sisters:
Helen White
Diane Leslie
Jessie Hall
Ruby Bullock
Williemae Minnor

Again, if anyone has any information regarding these individuals, please contact me. I know it is a longshot, but stranger things have happened.

Please click the above link to see the picture. I love the pictures this person took. They are raw and real. Not so Hollywood like the media. Take some time to look at them.

More kitty pictures!

Kitty

Yesterday evening, we (Harrison, Brad, James and I) congregated outside at the end of their busy work day discussing all the crazy things that had happened through out the day. A group of 6-8 kids come walking through the parking lot talking about the tiny kitten they had played with in the parking lot of the church up the hill. The girls had left the kitten with a group of boys who were playing basketball. With no intention of bringing the cat home, Brad and I walked up the hill to see the cat. The girls chased us all the way there and all the way back hoping the cat could become the apartment mascot. The poor kitten was too tiny to be left alone. Brad, who has three cats already picked it up and carried it back to our apartment.

James came up to the apartment and tried not to like the cat but understood how desperately the kitten needed attention.
Only three to four weeks only, she was covered with hundreds of fleas that were well hidden until her much hated flea bath. We discussed putting an ad in the paper but this poor cat hasn't just been out over night. I am pretty sure she is malnurished and dehydrated.
It looks as though we may have an addition to our family. For now we are just trying to make sure she is taken care of. We'll see! But for know it's a sure thing that we aren't getting new carpet.

Please let me know if you know of anyone who may want a cat. James and I are mildly allergic to cats and would prefer to find her a good home. She is VERY loving and social!

Random thoughts

As I showered, I considered what I may tell my daughter some day about shaving her legs. I shave mine because it is a learned habit. I started shaving the day I started my period in the 6th 9r 7th grade and I thought it was a HUGE deal. I looked foward to it because I liked the way my mom's legs looked; shiny, smooth, dark and defined. Perfect legs. Now, I like the way MY legs look shaved. And sadly, it's not just my legs...I shave quite a few other places people never see, including my armpits.

So back to what I would tell my daughter. I would want her, even at a young age to think about why(or why not) she wants to do something. After thinking about why, whether I agree or not, I would probably let her. I just don't think people think about why they do things. People ,too quickly, fall into doing what everyone else does to fulfill the need of fitting in and being excepted.

Then I thought, the human race is pretty creative. It comes across as daring, exotic, and special to be an artist. NO! Artists just have the drive and the passion to do what they do. I think their drive is what seperates them from the rest of us.

If people aren't naturally artistic, why is there such a demand for people to be fashionable, wear make-up have nice hair styles and haircuts, drive fancy cars, have nice houses (inside and out). There is evidence of of art EVERYWHERE.

My new boss, Diana, thinks she isn't artistic. I hear that too often from people and it drives me crazy. Again there is evidence of art in her life everywhere. Ahe doesn't think she's artistic?!?!?!? She drew me the coolest drawing of sesame street characters the other day. Even I, someone who considers themself artistic, wouldn't have taken the time to paint something that was well in a simple art project with a young child.

The world is starting to wake up and I wish they wouldn't. I have been enjoying the gentle noise of the rain and the thunder which have dissapeared and been replaced by car doors, voices, cars driving on the wet street.



Here's some raw words from my journal this morning.

they'll think i'm crazy for waking up "too" early. it will be unclear to them, the beauty i have seen this a.m. as the sun shines, the rain falls and the thunder boomers argue over what i'll see next. there is happiness here in my solitude. silence filled with thoughs to put a smile on my face and make the bad times easier. sheltered from the rain, i find it soothing to listen and look out the window at the new day. there are no time limits i have to meet, no expectations wearing me down. i can just be...
it's magic outside. everything is moving. there is so much life and movement right now as the rest of the house is dreaming the day away. and they won't understand why i don't want to miss this.

As I sat there writing I could see the family in the building across from us moving their belongings. We call them "The Refugees," a name given to them before we ever got her. And that is what they are, refugees from Africa. Catholic Charities wants to move in another family soon. Which is ok now that this other family is leaving because they can use the same destroyed apartment. They use a certain spice that kind of smells like curry that you can smell a mile away. The other guy that works here tells a story about going into their apartment to fix their fridge(that they didn't know was broken) and their was half of a bloody head in the sink. He said it was too small to be a horse and too big to be a dog. He still doesn't have a clue what kind of meat they ha for dinner that night.

Here is some of what I wrote about them.


and they too don't understand. those people outside my window. and i don't understand them. i wish i could. maybe that's what makes them so appealing. the fact that i don't understand why they sit in a circle and eat rice off the carpet. she smiles amd waves at me, like i am someone she knows as i wave to her to say hello. i wonder if she is relieved to see a language she knows: a simple hello. if i knew more than hello i might ask the why they eat off the carpet. why they have colorful drapes hanging from every inch of their home. why they came here and what they were trying to escape from. why the bathtub is used for washing dishes and dumping leftover rice.

Our cable was out last night in Wyondotte County so we had rented some movies. Of course, ONLY to be watch AFTER "House." (An addiction of mine, thanks to James and my mother.) James and I were about an hour into the first when we heard a male voice coming out of our tv. I got up and backed up the movie and it wasn't there the second time. Because the cable wasn't working, we had hooked up an antenna so the basic channels would come in clearly. That was one of the most bizaar experiences I think I have experienced thus far.

Any words of wisdom as to how some man's voice(probably from a two way radio) came out of our tv?

The moral is...Weekend getaways are a MUST!

The knocking has already started. The longer we live here at Misty Glen, the more people knock on our door. James is still liking what he does here but everyone needs a day off. James hasn't had one in a while and as you know I have been stessed out about my job for months now. We decided to take matters into our own hands.

We just got back a little over an hour ago from our weekend get-away. We took off Firday afternoon and headed in the direction of Columbia Missouri. We didn't get far before we were ready to stop. We stopped at a KOA in Oak Gove, MO right outside of Kansas City.

We were just relieved to be away from the complex. We played mini golf on their home made course and went swimming after dark for about 20 minutes. James cooked pasta alfredo for dinner on the campstove and by the time we had started the fire, I was ready for bed.

I almost always go to bed early and get up early. We both woke up, 45 minutes before check out. It was fun to sleep in but I had planned on swimming more in the morning!

We grabbed some flyers from the office after we checked out and then headed to Columbia, MO. We stopped at an outlet mall on the way but it was too hot for shopping in the strip mall. (I won't mention that James "accidentally" drove right past the scapbook store) When we got to Columbia, we went to Walmart and bought a memory card for my new camera I got for my birthday. Then, we headed off to the visitors center across town.

They didn't have much to say but it gave a direction to go it. We headed down south to Devil's Icebox, a cave James was familiar with. That part of the cave we got to go in was not Devil's Icebox because you have to enter that one by canoe. It's only open two months out of the year because of the water levels.
The part we did get to see was amazing!



The we headed to Cooper's Landing which is supposed to be wild on the weekends. They have live music and camoing on the water. When we got there it didn't look like something we would enjoy! SO we kept heading down South to the area we had wanted to go to all along. I'm not sure why we didn't go down there earlier in the day. By 8:30 we had reserved a cabin in Lebanon, MO at NRO that had canoe rentals that we were looking foward to the next day.

I made a friend while we were there.


Again we had a very relaxing evening and I made it to a campfire that night. James still wanted to stay up later so I started punching him until he gave in. We went in to get water to put out the fire and I think more water ended up on us then in the fire.

NRO was packed with abnoxious people our age but they were all down by the water. I'm glad we didn't decide to camp! All that was left of them the next morning was there huge piles of trash and beer cans. The river was beautiful. After our 7 mile float we did out typical bickering about wether to stop or continue on for another 7 miles. We both knew we should stop but we both wanted to keep going. We finally determined it would be best to stop but we had to go back soon and do it again.

The trip was awesome! We had a blast. We really have to do that more often!

Job Update

My last day of work is going to be sometime around the 15th of August. Amazingly enough, things are going better than ever. I wish the job had been like this from the beginging!

I was offered another position on Wednesday. At first I was aprehensive about it because I didn't feel that they knew enough about me to make a good decision. I wasn't TRYING to get the job, I was just being myself and letting whatever happen. It's only two days a week for about a year and then it would be for full time. The pay is better and the more I work, the more I get paid! Seems reasonable! I feel like my personality fits better with this family. The wife took more time yesterday to tell me more about their family and we have a lot in common. I thinks that's pretty cool!

The only problem is they want me to start on July 18th but both I and the family I am working for have commited to the middle of Aug and I have to stick with that. I know the new family is a little bit more flexible on the start date but I don't know that they can wait that long. I am hoping that they do though. We'll see!

Trip to FL

The biggest concern when children reunite with their birth parents is how the birthmother or child will fell about the situation. Some birthmoms don't want to be found, others want their babies back and others just want to make sure the kid is ok.

Long story short, I am so glad that my mom found her and brought her into our lives. She is an amazing person and she has a very cool family that I am excited to add to my mine!

This is my biological half sister, Cassie. She is already very special to me and I have only known her for two months.


This is my birthmom, Tonia.


Tonia turned out to be better than I could have dreamed her to be. For more fun filled pictures of my trip, check out
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21877391@N00/

After about two months of being frustrated with work, I finally told The Husband that I was unhappy. At first I was heart broken, thinking about leaving the baby who I spend my days with. By the time I got home, I was relieved at the thought of not having to keep up this schedule for very much longer.

In the begining I was upset that he didn't understand all the things that were bothering me. In response to the long hours he said, "What kind of hours do you think you would be working at a real job," and "I don't think you have worked more that 40 hours a week since you have been here."

I regards to the low pay, "___'s kindergarden teacher,_______, made less than $1300 a month last year."

Money isn't that big of a concern to me but I am spending $60-75 a week in gas. So on the high end of things I spend $300 a month in gas, leaving $1000 a month minus taxes.

As a teacher, even in the worst situation I was in, I got respect. Parents and the people I was around, told me I was doing a good job. I felt like the work I was doing was making a positive influence on people's lives and I was appreciated for it. Now, I hardly get any respect from the seven year old and I am told not to take it personal. That child knows he is the boss of me. When I talked to him about how he felt about me leaving he said, "We can give you some time off."

Unfortunately, I have been cursed with knowing what it is like to love your job no matter how much you dislike the people around you or how hard it is. What is all boils down to is, I don't love this job.

I felt like I was living my whole day for this family. I went from being with my husband 24/7 to seeing him a few hours a day. My mom warned me about that too. I believed these people. I trusted the things they said because I told them I didn't want to get screwed. I thought things were made clear by both parties what was expected.

I believed them when they said they didn't expect me to clean. I was expected to clean up after myself and the kids. That was the opposite of what was told to me the day I told him how unhappy I was.

It will be over soon! And the job search continues!

As you may have read previously, my mom found my birth mother and we have been corresponding ever since. After talking more with her on the phone and speaking with my biological half-sister, I thought more about going to visit.

I started looking at prices for the next four day weekend I would have, which was Memorial Day weekend. As the time to book a ticket quickly approached, I discussed the idea with my employers. Due to the unfortunate death of the wife's father, they told me that they would be leaving again the week of that holiday. I tell them that I had considered taking Monday to Friday to go to FL, as it would be much cheaper.

When I took the job, it was understood that when they had to go away, I would still be paid. When I had to be away, I wouldn't. Now I am being told, that it has always been understood that if the nanny can't watch the house while they are gone, she doesn't get paid. I know we talked briefly about it when we talked about vacation but I was never told I was expected to watch their house while they were gone! I thought I could use that time as I pleased because they had chosen to take the time to be gone.

I was also told by one of them that they would back me up and support me through this time because they knew it was important for me to have closure. Closure for what exactly?

Baby is awake now...more on this later.

It has been brought to my attention that based on my last entry, it may sound like I am just complaining about my job. I love my job. The problem is that I work 10 hour days with a 45 minute drive at either end. My days, while they are mostly easy going, they are very long.

I put a ton of energy into those kids.

That's enough...I just wanted to clarify about the long days.

The moral is...the world doesn't understand me.

I feel myself slipping into a funk. Everyday I start off in a good mood and sure enough I slip right back into being irritated by the time I get to work. I can't believe I am burt out already.

Maybe it is a sign, but recenly I have been surrounded by talk of life when you are older. I made a comment last week about how I didn't understand why people worked their lives away. A comment was made back, " People work hard so they don't have to worry about other people taking care of them when they are older."

Then I find out that the people I work for are planning on retiring in four years. Theya re so young and they are going to have things figured out finacially and medically for the rest of their lives. Not to mention that they are going to be there for their kids who will be 5 and 11. They have sacrificed themselves for 20+ years so they could have that luxury.

I feel kind of trapped right now. Trapped by a world that I don't feel understand me. I don't want to work my days away, especially when I know that my husband might not be here tommorow. There is nothing to assure that any of us will be here tommorow.

I loved spending my days on the road with James. Now I spend about three hours awake with him during the week. Those three hours I can hardly give him my attention. Ususally, I cook dinner since I seem to have a tiny bit more energy that he does at the end of the day. Then I just want to sit and zone out. I can hardly concentrate to hear his stories.

The people I work for act like they understand but I don't feel like they do. They haven't made choices that keep them together during the day. They still hardly see each other and I know they love each other but that is the choice they have made. Plus they have kids at the end of the day to complicate matters. After 20 years they are used to working all the time.

I can't be away from James this much. It is pathetic and horribly romantic but it is what it is I suppose. I know James is feeling the same way but he goes to work later than I do and comes home earlier. I can work all day, no problem, if I have James by my side.

I have enough of a concience to tell me that my actions directly effect other people's feelings and lives. I have a great job with great perks and down time. It's just not the right perks for me, I think. The bottmo line is, I want to be with James. I am living for the end of the day when I can see him and the weekend when we run around doing things for other people.

I know I can't walk out on these kids. I am really fortunate to have this family in my life. It just isn't right for me, I don't think.

The moral is...I don't really want to have one but my dad will give me a hard time if I don't. Just read it!

I don't think I realized how long it has been since I have written. I've been going through a lot recently and I find great comfort in my journal. Let's see if we can transfer some of that to my blog!

My job is going great! I had a very frustrating week last week. I had just had an entire week off, paid, and was returning to work and having to deal with the grandparents being there. At first it wasn't too bad. But then grandma was finding extra work for me to do. I couldn't figure out how to tell her that these jobs she was having me do weren't my job. I kept it inside I just did what was asked of me. I felt that after a week off I should try to help out as mush as I could.

The extra jobs were taking up my time that I got to rest or do what I wanted to do while the baby was sleeping. I was exhausted all week! By Thursday, I was angry and thinking about looking for another job.

Being frustrated with grandma was making me think about all the dumb things that I was already a tiny bit irrated about. I don't come from a military background so it is hard for me to understand the people I work for sometimes.

I was dissapointed early in the week after a conversation with the wife. She had previously told me that I was invited to her son's birthday party. They would love to have me but I didn't have to go. Monday, it had turned it to, " Just plan on being there. I need the extra adult." Oh thank you so much. At that point, I would have prefered to be asked instead of told.

Everything is like that though. While I know they are great people and don't mean to hurt my feelings it upsets me sometimes. I think it is just what they are used to, being in the military. I know that I work for them so I should expect to be told what to do and that is fine. I guess, the problem I am having is that I chose to work for them over other, better paying, better hour nanny jobs because they were looking for someone to be apart of their family.

Maybe other families work differently but in my family we ask people to do things even if it should be demanded. It makes me feel so distant when they talk to me like that. It just makes me feel like the little 6.50/hour employee that I am instead of the caretaker of their children.

Then that gets me thinking. I could be making more money going back to my old job at the coffee shop and be done everyday but 1 o'clock and I wouldn't have to work 10 hour days. The wife doesn't understand because she is used to working 10 or 12 hour days just because that is the way it is. I on the other hand make 6.50/hour and left the coffee shop making more than that plus tips. Of course, I could bnever sit down at the coffee shop either. There are great things about being a nanny that can't be weighed my money but they have a lot of value. It just gets hard to realize when your frustrated and burnt out at the end of the week.

Which brings me to the biggest news of all, that hasn't helped my job situation any. Last Friday, my mom made a call to a woman that could quite possibly be my birthmother. I didn't prepare myself for the possible outcome because I didn't want to get my hopes up.

It was her and we have been e-mailing back and forth like crazy. however, I am tired pf writting so I'll have to save that for another day! Tune in again next time for the EXCITING LIFE OF BEKAH!

Meet Joe

Today I startes writing about some of the characters introduced into my novel, or my life, this past week. I am confident that eventually there will be a book out of all of these adventures I've gone through. I just have to write more!

Let me introduce to Joe.

A fair skinned man stops us in the hallway. Age 72, he has been struggling all day to unzip the zipper of his anciant military wind jacket. He has waited for James to come by to ask for his help. James struggles with it for a while until finally it breaks unexpectedly. Although he is told the zipper broke, he doesn't notice. He appreciates the company he has now trapped from going upstairs.

Joe speaks of a former tenant who scammed him out of 400 bucks. Every conversation with Joe brings the retelling of the con artist.

Joe has lost so much faith in the world he lives in. Having lost his wife to cancer many years ago, he speaks as if death is knocking on his door every minute. He looks as if he has given up on showering, his white, this hair slicked back with grease.

Joe sits in his car, watching people as they come and go. He never drives his car, rather he walks to pick up the things he needs. The walk is exhausting for him which gives him something else to complain about. His car might not even work he explains. He doesn't care. He says he is too old to drive.

Discussing a recent school shooting he says, "If I was healthy, Id never think of that."

While you look at him and want to reach out to help him, he makes it clear that it is necessary to keep your distance for you own safety. Although, I offer to pick him up groceries on my way home from work. He may never except the offer since he doesn't trust anyone.

Tune in again and I will introduce you to the others as their characters become clearer!

Bekah

The moral is...don't judge a book by it's cover.

This weekend we started cleaning our apartment just to find that when you left the cabinets open there was an overwhelming smell of curry! Not that I have anything against curry, I would just prefer it in moderation.

So, we went looking for a new apartment. Not thinking we would find anything, we actually found another two bedroom over the office that doesn't need quite as much work. And it doesn't smell like curry!

Yesterday brought many suprises at the apartments. A lot of people were out and about and there were many oppurtunities to talk and have a good laugh. Most of the people you stop and talk to won't let you leave the conversation without a good laugh. The area has it's con's like with any neighborhood but it is so vibrant and alive which makes it fun just being there.

I'm sure after the summer when violence is at it's worst, I might not be saying the same thing but right now I love it. People support each other and look after one another. We've joined a community that is a lot of fun. And better yet, I think most of the people we have met really like us.

I guess it is kind of racist to think like this but I think part of me thought we wouldn't fit in, like we were different. Nope. There's not that much that makes us different. We're all broke and trying to get by.

What I love even more is that most people make light of how crappy their lives are instead of being depressed about it.

It's really a neat place and I hope my family and friends won't hesitate to come visit us. Just don't forget your gun when you come...Just kidding!

Bekah

I'm in a bad mood.

I am still trying to settle into a new schedule. My immune system seemed to shut down this week as well, prabably from all the changes. I've had horrible allergies and as soon as I started feeling better I got a bad UTI. It hurts and it is making me cranky. So I am going to take my crankiness out on whoever is reading this.

The people I work for are really cool and I enjoy when they are around. I think I just take things to personally. I just want to be a good addition to their childrens' lives. It makes it hard to do my job when they don't let me. It's all so new and fresh that I know I just have to give it time.

No disrespect to the guy I work for, but it bummed me out that he came home so early and didn't let me go home to get some rest. I feel so drained today. I don't mind him coming home early so he can get stuff done around the house but this week it has been hard to establish boundries with his older kid because he steps in and lets him do things I wouldn't necessarily do. Or jumps in to tell him he isn't acting right.

I am trustworthy and responsible. I will be relieved when they figure that out!

It's rainy and gross outside today. And so is my attitude. Why is it that I never write when happy things are going on? I'll write something cheery next time.

Ok, here is another reason I think I am so bummed. I miss my family. A lot. I am super home sick. I've been away from my family before so I don't think missing them is all of it. I was so sick yesterday and I wanted to go "home" so badly but when I got there there was nothing to go "home" to. James was just as tired as I was and begining to not feel well. There was someone elses couch, someone elses, beds, someone elses stuff. I miss having a home. I can't wait to get settled again and have some normality in my life again.

Ok, one last thing. I miss James. We were together everyday, all day for so long and now I never see him. He tries to act like he is not exhausted from work but he is. We just vedge out on the couch and vent about our day at work. And then we go to bed. I see him for 2 or 3 hours before I go to bed. We really need to get our finances straitened out so we can work together for our own company. WE work so well together. It bums me out that I can't be with him as often any more.

That's enough of that. I'm feeling better now. I hope you're not bummed out after reading this! Come back and I will right happy things next time. Promise!

Bekah

The moral is...life always throws you curve balls.

It is amazing how quickly your life can turn upside down. I was aware that is was coming, but by the time it arrived, I wasn't really prepared for it.

I was planning on starting my nanny job a few days ago and expected to commute from Topeka until James had found a job. It worked out that James ended up starting a new job the same day.

James had interviewed to work as a manager of an apartment complex in North Kansas City and was waiting to hear back. He finally heard back and after his third meeting with the owner, he was left in charge the following day to begin figuring things out. There is very little orginaization so most of the "figuring out" has been developing systems to run the business smoothly.

I love the family I am working for. I think we are all warming up to each other nicely but it still feels akward for me at times. I tend to make myself at home very quickly and I am begining to think that that can be good and bad.

To top it all off, they have been very generous and very helpful with our difficulties getting back on our feet. While I know they aren't making judgements against me, it is hard for me to ask for help when I need it but I have been asking for help since they began offering it. I think the biggest thing that has been bothering me is that James and I are down to one car now so I borrow theirs often. I don't want them to feel like I am trying to mooch off of them. I just want to help them out and be a good influence to their children. James and I will be back on our feet again shortly and hopefully we will find another car for cheap. (Galen, if you loved me, you would give me my car back...just kidding!)

Any new relationship takes some getting used to, I guess. The whole family is great so I know that eventually I will begin to feel more at home with them.

We are also homeless. While we have my parents' house in Topeka, the apartment of James' boss in KC, James' uncle in Overland Park, and I have the option to stay the night in Leavenworth after work if I want to, it's not quite good enough. It all is wonderful and we are so greatful for everyone that has helped us out. We are very greatful to have a roof above our heads each night. So don't take this the wrong way. I was just thinking about how we don't really live anywhere. We often use the word "home" to refer the place we are going to. It is so odd. We came "home" today to Topeka to use the computer, do laundry, and say hi to my family that we got so used to having around.

I got very used to seeing my dad everyday. While I saw everyone in my family almost daily, my dad, whom I haver always been very close to, was home all during the day with us while we were there. (It was so we wouldn't get in trouble I am sure!) Now, I haven't even talked to my dad in about 48 hours. It is really strange.

I have felt, for about the past week, that I have been walking around in a dream. I never got to say "goodbye" to anyone but I haven't really left because most of my stuff still lives at my parents' house.

I don't even know if any of this is making sense. It's hard to put into words the way I am feeling. IT'S JUST PLAIN WEIRD!

I know that there are only a few constant readers of my blog but now would be a good time to hear from you all. I need as many constants in my life right now so my head doesn't fall off. Especially, from my WWR friends...I haven't had my fix in a while! :)(Give Jim and Esther a hello from Bekah and James the Guru) If you can find the time, please leave me a comments or email me at bekahandjames@gmail.com

This sounds like I am advertising but I'm not.(Ok, maybe I am...but just a little) If you are a podcast listener, be on the look out for upcoming podcasts, I know they are going to be interesting with all the drama James is seeing at the apartments. Not to mention all the changes we have had recently. You can find those at http://bekahandjames.com

We don't have internet at the current place we "live" so be patient if we can't spit them out very often!

Bekah

PS. Leave me a fun, cheery message at 206-339-4545!

Letter to Sara

I found my friend who is away at college who I have not seen or spoke to in a few years. She wants to know what she has missed since my wedding. This letter is to her. I hope she doesn't mind that I posted this publicly but I thought it would be easier to illustrate things for her. Plus, I would imagine it might be interesting for others to read it as well.

Sara,

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. I wanted to make sure I have time to write more than a sentence or two. I don't know where to start. You want me to start at the honeymoon...oooo...I should just start writing a book right now. I'll try and add illustrations!

There was the wedding of course. The honeymoon in Alaska was amazing. We were sick most of the time, therefore not getting to hike as much as we would have liked. I think the stress from the wedding finally got to us and beat our immune system into the ground.It rained the whole time were there, making it hard to stay dry. My favorite meal of the honeymoon was Salmon cooked on the fire. We were camping in another town when James met a man who had just gotten back from a fishing trip. He offered James a generous amount of salmon steaks. It was awesome! We wouldn't mind moving there eventually. We were sad to have to leave!

This is unrelated but we have made "friends" with a couple in Alaska. They broadcast 24 hr indie folk music from their cabin in Talkeetna, Alasks. I love to tune in whenever I am working on stuff. I love them. They are great people. If you get a chance, you should check it out. Whole Wheat Radio

We continued living in our apartment with our dog, Xander, who learned to open doors and cabinets. We lost hundreds of dollars in new groceries until we figured out how to tie the fridge and cabinets closed!

Before our wedding we took a trip to Chicago. I wanted so badly to tranfer to Columbia and James wanted to work for a coffee company. We took the trip so we could take a tour of the college and have job interviews. The school was nothing to get excited about, especially when considering the HUGE difference in price. I still would have loved it but the job stuff fell through and we didn't want to try and plan the wedding from Chicago. Chicago 1. Chicago 2. Chicago 3.

James quit working for PTs and started an espresso euipment repair business. It was doing quite well until...well...the things we do for love.

After my senior year of college, I was tired and burnt out. I had the honor of doing a show over the summer with the Karen Hastings Players. I think the story goes as follows. Phil Grecian asked Jo Huseman who he should ask to play the roles of the young couple in his play. She said, he had to had Greg Krumins and I. So Phil called me up and asked me to do the show. While I was so excited not to have to audition, I didn't say yes right away. I asked to read a script. The script revealed that I would have to kiss Greg. James and I had mixed feelings about is, since he was my ex-boyfriend. I expressed my concern to Phil and he said he would work with me to make sure I was comfortable. During Toby Saves the Farm, I met my good friend, Chris Waugh (his son went to school with us). He put me in touch with Ric Averill, who cast James and I in a children's theatre show that inspired this blog. James quickly bonded with other members of the cast!

We began the Aesop's Fables tour in September, leaving James' business behind. Here I am showing off our new costumes to my parents. The assembly we performed was about 45min of Aesop's Fables that kept all ages, including adults, captivated and laughing. Although we liked to perform on a gymnasium floor, we often got put on the stage. We were distanced from the kids and they didn't react as well to the show since we were so far away.

The most exciting stuff has happened more recently. Due to the show, James discovered he had a hernia that had been laying dormant for a while. Every show he did made the hernia worse and worse until he couldn't stand it anymore. At one point, we were waitng "backstage" to perform, the kids were seated for our third show of the day and I thought I was going to have to cancel the show and take James to the hospital.James is a tough cookie. He got demanded we do the show. It was shortly after that, that we decided to see a doctor who told us that it was potentially life threatening. We knew it was something that needed to be taken care of immediately.

We started living with my parents and we are still here! We have had no income for over a month now. We went from spending hundreds of dollars a day on food, hotel and gas to having no money for food, shelte or gas. Thank god for my family...well OUR families and friends. We will definetly be more greatful for the money we have once we start working again.

So, James had his surgery on Mardi Gras and now he is doing great. Ouch! But at least he got beads, which he earned! He was well taken care of! Three more weeks and he can return back to most activities.

Currently, I just got a job as a Nanny for a great family in Leavenworth. James is waiting to hear about a potential job in North Kansas City. Soon enough, we should be back on our feet and enjoying our PRIVACY again! Here is our "bedroom!" And our bedroom again!
At least we aren't in the dining room like we used to be!

Hannah was nominated for Homecoming. We were on the road then so we missed it. I didn't miss, however, Galen's nomination for Royalty of courts. He loves us, he really does!

Galen is a really cool guy. He never seems embarrassed to hang out with James and I although, he doesn't invite us to tag along much and we can't afford to invite him out right now! Despite the picture, I know he loves me! We have been going to the gym together at night which I love! We don't spend the whole time at the gym together but I treasure those few minutes in the car or at the gym that he talks with me!

Hannah doesn't have much time for me anymore which really bums me out. She does a million things and keeps her grades up. She does cheerleading, babysitting, works as a host at Texas Roadhouse and everything in between.

I want to make sure you get a good idea of what you're missing!
This is what they do when dad tries to talk to them! This is from winter semi-formal!

Alright! I think that is enough for now. While I am sure there is much more that I missed, I sure it can be saved for a nice discussion over coffee. Let me know when you will be in town! I hope you don't mind that I shared this letter with the world! I'll keep sending you letter via email!

Bekah