My Little Chunk

We had Zoie's 1 month visit to the doctor today. We confirmed she is an excellent eater. She has grown 1 1/2 inches to be at 23 inches. She is also weighing in at 11 lbs 15 oz. I love my little chunk.

Here are a couple recent pictures Renae took while we were in Georgia.

In Georgia Now

Hey everyone.

I haven't downloaded recent pictures off my camera yet, but will do so soon. We're in Georgia right now visiting Mark's family. This is the their first opportunity to meet Zoie. She was a wonderful traveler (we are very thankful for this). She was a bit fussy after we arrived yesterday but after 6 hours of straight sleep :)...everyone is feeling better.

Here is a picture of our little traveler

Shout out

Greetings from the new parents.

We are doing well. Our little princess is doing great. She has already gained 1lb 4 oz since birth. She is now 9lb 14oz. I can definitely see her face filling out and her sleepers aren't so puffy on her.

She is very alert. She's also very Lindberg because when she is asleep...she's out. She already sleeps great waking up usually just once at night to eat...so I'm actually getting some decent rest.

Here are a couple of pictures.

Baby Love

It's official, Mark is in love with another girl. Fortunately it's our daughter and there is plently of love for the both of us. Life here is definitely different but we wouldn't change it for anything. Zoie is a very happy baby thus far. We had her first doctor visit today and everything looks good, we're very thankful for our healthy little girl.
Here are a few pictures of us at home

Welcome Home Zoie

Mark and I are officially parents

Zoie Jean Lindberg arrived Monday April 27th, 2009 @ 12:02 pm

a beautiful healthy baby girl

8lb 9oz

21 1/2 inches

perfect in everyway

Pregnant People Everywhere

Since we found out we were expecting, I've noticed so many people I know having babies etc... People just tell me it's my stage in life, but I have been at this stage for a bit now and don't remember nearly this many babies. I decided to make a list of all the people who have had a baby since we found out we were expecting (August 2008) through those who are expecting this year. This is list is limited to people I know personally. My count so far...



43!



I don't think it is just my imagination that there are new babies everywhere.



Update on us...



Despite earlier indicators, our new baby girl has decided she is in no hurry to come into the world. My due date was Tuesday...so now it's just a waiting game. Thankfully her heart rate is fine and she is moving enough so my doctor is content for now to let nature take its course. I just hope this course isn't too long so where she'll want to induce.


I have another "baby belly" picture on my camera, so I'll try to get it off later and post it.



For now, we're just waiting for her to arrive.

Before and After

We've been busy working on our house since last June. I really wanted to get these things done before the baby came. We were successful. Here are a few before and after shots for your enjoyment. To really appreciate it, you need to come visit (hint, hint).

Master Bedroom Before















Master Bedroom After

















Guest Room/Zoie's Room Before















Zoie's Room after

Office Before/After

































Living Room Before/After

Expanding on "For Better or For Worse"

With the recent marriage of my sister and my brother's upcoming wedding, Mark and I have had some time to consider traditional wedding vows. We all know the "to have and to hold from this day forward"

"for better or for worse"
"for richer or for poorer"
"in sickness and in health"

and while I would not want to diminish the significance of these words, there are a few "unsaid vows" that I think every married couple takes...even if they don't know it up there on the alter.

Here are our silent additions to the list

"in tidiness or in disarray"
"for grouchy or for perky"
"in Menards or in the mall"
"with home-cooked or with carryout"
"in remembrance or in forgetfulness"
"for thin or for chubby"
"in dry or wet basements"
"in running or broken down cars"

and my personal favorite
"in calm or in nagging"

and we conclude "to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. "

I'm sure you all have your own. Marriage is a wonderful blessing and if we remember our commitment to even these silent vows...we can face even the challenges we bring upon ourselves.

Feel free to add any!

Peachy Day

I love peaches. They are by far and away my favorite fruit. Yesterday we were down in Central Illinois visiting friends and family. I was fortunate to have several opportunities to enjoy peaches.


We had these fabulous home-canned peaches at Dustin and Mandy's house for breakfast. They were excellent.

Grandma Lindberg had a peach cobbler for us when we went to visit her.


Grandma Kuntz brought red jello with peaches in it for dessert.


Very peachy!



The weekend was fun overall. It was our last weekend with "official plans." As I'm 37 weeks along tomorrow, we thought it unwise to committ to much else. Doesn't mean we are going to stop doing social things all together, it just means I can't committ (something that is rare for me).

So far all is well on the baby radar. We just keep cooking along.

Am I ready?

Assuming people are asking about being ready for Zoie, the short answer is....Not really. (I have a little less than 5 weeks to go until our due date).

We'd be fine if she decided to make an early appearance, but I really could use a few more weeks to get some stuff done. We're finishing up household projects (I'll before and after pictures soon). I've just about got her room in order. Work stuff is coming to a close. So we are getting there. We did make it through Diana's wedding, so that is a huge relief. Still, there is a lot to do.

Overall I feel pretty good...round...but good. I do look forward to the day when rolling over in bed isn't quite as challenging but I can handle a few more weeks of this just fine. Probably toward the very end I'll be saying "just come out please" but today is not that day.

Here is a picture of Amanda kissing my belly. Ignore the extremely tired and worn out look. This was at the rehersal dinner for Nicholas and Diana (which was very fun by the way). It had just been a long day and I was ready for bed.

The Wedding

I'm just now feeling close to recoperated after Diana and Nicholas' big wedding weekend. It was wonderful and everything went very well. It's just a tiring experience. Here are some random pictures from the event. I have more pictures on another computer but this will give you a taste of it.


Mark and I talking with Brian & Amber

My Mom and Dad

The happy couple cutting cake

The Bridal Party

More Wedding Bells

Some of you may have heard the exciting family news this weekend...

My brother Brian is getting married...to Amber Rocke from Roanoke.

Amber and Braden, her son, have been such a blessing to us already and we look forward to many years of memories.

Here is a picture of the happy family the Saturday night before the big announcement when the whole Vercler family went up to Medieval Times.

Baby Belly

As requested, here is a recent picture of my ever growing abdomen. We are about 7 1/2 weeks from D-Day. Diana's wedding is next week...so once I make it through that, I'll deal with more of the "baby stuff"

We're getting very excited and her room is pretty close to ready. I have a few more things to clean etc...but we'll get there.

Lots of love

Security at the Bridal Boutique

With Diana's wedding swiftly approaching (just 4 weeks away), we were all getting very anxious for the bridesmaid dresses to arrive. We bought them from a store up in the suburbs about 40 minutes from my house. I knew my dress was going to need serious altering and I had some one specific who I wanted to do it, who lives down in El Paso. My sister had 2 bridal showers in the Gridley area on Saturday, so we made an appointment in between to get fitted for the alterations.

One of the bridesmaids lives out in D.C., Amanda is down in Gridley, and I didn't want to make too many trips so I volunteered to go pick up these 3 dresses so we could get things started. I arrived on Friday afternoon to pick them up. What the shop didn't tell us is that to pick up dresses for other people you either have to be
A. The Bride
B. Have permission from the others to do so.

I asked what "permission" entailed. The shop ladies said that the bridesmaids needed to call into the shop and just let them know that I would be picking them up. Now it's in the middle of the afternoon. Amanda is in school and Emily (the one from D.C.) is at work. But never fear, a little family scheming is always in order.

I told the ladies I thought I could get a hold of Amanda and Emily to have them call in. I then proceeded to call Mom- asked her to be Amanda....then called Diana- asked her to be Emily and express their desire to have me pick up the dresses.

To make the act even better, I went back in and asked to look at my dress while we waited for them to call. Sure enough within minutes "Amanda" and "Emily" both called. The shop ladies asked neither of them for any identifying information to confirm they were who they said they were. It was all I could do not to laugh when they gave me a thumbs up with each call.

Anyone with any tenacity could have duped their system. Now I really did have permission to pick up the dresses...but if I wanted to steal/destroy/hold hostage the dresses I easily could have.

They then proceeded to share some stories of people who actually did steal/destroy etc... other's dresses. Crazy bridal world if you ask me.

All is well...I have the dresses and we're one step closer to the wedding.

Wouldn't you love this story to be about you

Comcast Cable Guy Weight Breaks Pole
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-tue-problem-box-27jan27,0,3124066.story

I found this story absolutely hilarious. It's sad because if Comcast had just done the right thing by fixing the pole in the first place, this guy wouldn't have to be so embarrassed. I don't know if you have ever worked with Comcast but their service is typically very bad.

Often when I make service calls I do their whole automated system and at some point in the process it hangs up on me. Got to love that.

One time I had a guy suggest I use their online chat to set-up my modem and router. That would be pretty challenging since I need to the modem and router hooked up to have an Internet connection.

Oh well, this incident happened not far from our house (next town over). It's good for a laugh :).

Much less depressing that reading about our crazy governor. I seriously believe the man is mentally gone.

I don't have to do my taxes

This is because Mark does them.... :)

I always did my own taxes (prior to getting married) and it was one of my least favorite chores of the year. Some years I was motivated and did them them really early. Other years...I waited until late.

Mark (as an accounting student) I believe truly enjoys doing the taxes. Now with the house and such it is more complicated than in years past. He's excited about this. Strange I know.

I'm thankful that until death do us part...I won't have to do my taxes. Plus I have the best accountant ever!

Lots going on

Sorry it has been so long. We've had a very busy (and very blessed) holiday season. We've spent lots of time with family and friends. Mark has been battling a head cold since just before the New year but he's making it.

Today my Amanda is having her tonsils taken out. She really needs this done as they were basically so large they were touching in the back of her throat. Hopefully all goes well.

I'll post more about our holiday w/pictures soon.

Sharing my waistline

I commented to my sister that I no longer have a waist line...

She said "Yes you do, you're just sharing it."

Here is a recent picture of Mark and I on our trip to South Bend. My work had its annual holiday party. We had a wonderful time in South Bend over the weekend. Mark also got some much needed rest.

If you are ever in South Bend and need a hotel, I'd highly recommend the Inn at St. Mary's. The service, the rooms, the BREAKFAST, everything is fabulous.

It snowed the entire time we were there, just like it does in South Bend :).

SHE is beautiful

Mark and I went to the doctor this week for an ultrasound. We are pleased to see that our little girl, Zoie Jean is doing very well. The tech said everything looks healthly and normal. We feel so blessed to be part of this miracle.

Here is a picture from ultrasound.

Thanksgiving in Georgia

Mark and I made the long 16-hour journey south for this Thanksgiving holiday. Since we haven't seen most of his family since we moved in May...it was a long anticipated trip. The weather is great (even though I heard it was nice in IL as well) and it's great to see everyone. It's a little weird driving around. It's familiar but it is no longer home. Funny how that transition happens.

Joel has already humored me many times with his perspective on the world. They were very concerned that since everyone was in bed when we arrived last night we would not know where to go to sleep. It may be a few months since we've been to this house but the general layout is still pretty familiar...so no worries Joel.

Rachel is quite fascinated with my baby belly and rubs it regularly. She has put her vote in for a girl...but Joel wants a boy. Mark said "Well we'll find out who wished harder"

I did not bring my cord to download pictures so that will have to wait until I return.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Wedding bells

It is with great pleasure I introduce you to the future Mr. & Mrs. Warnecke.

My sister is engaged to Nicholas (pictured below). The wedding is set for March 7th so we have a lot of planning to do. We picked out bridesmaid dresses Saturday. Fortunately one of Diana's favorites came in a maternity style. I will be 7 1/2 months pregnant at the time of the nuptials. At least I'll look pregnant...not just fat. It will be just very pregnant.

Just thought I'd share the good news!

Congrats Nicholas and Diana!

Shot in the arm

In the interest of protecting the health of my baby, I got a flu shot. I'm not so sure that was a great idea.



First mistake I made was to allow them to do it in the right arm. The asked my preference and I said I didn't care. Since she was on the right side that's just what they did.



It was sore for a couple of days and then got better.



The soreness is back now. I went to the doctor this morning and she thinks that I probably aggravated the soreness over the weekend. The only thing I can attribute it to is moving my arm in funny directions to try on bridesmaid dresses (this experience will be worth another post).



It's not infected so that is good.


The bad thing is I can't take any anti-inflamatory pills because I'm pregnant. Instead I'm icing 4 times per day for 20 minutes at a shot. I went ahead and turned the heat up a bit because I'm shivering now.



Hopefully this gets better soon. I'll be more careful with the arm for a while.

Envying the Chickens

I never thought that a white feathered bird would elicit feelings of green envy from me. Mark made the comment after we found out I was pregnant "wouldn't it be easier if you could just lay an egg."

After a nauseating evening yesterday and clothes shopping today, I think he may have been right.

First off, all the maternity clothes I've seen are not very cute and selection is extremely limited. I love clothes shopping and new outfits...so I find this challenging. I find enough tops that look cute enough...it is the pants/skirts area I'm having trouble.

They have plenty of jeans and some khaki type stuff (lots of capris which does me no good in the winter) but nicer pants and skirts...no such luck.

I also have a conference in two weeks. I'm not really quite round enough for maternity clothes but my normal dress clothes just aren't going to zip.

I bought some bigger pants today that should get me by.

I just found the experience to be frustrating and I have a feeling it will only worsen.

Wouldn't it be nice just to lay an egg?

Baby Lindberg Update

All is still well with baby Lindberg. I had another doctor appointment today. My tests were all normal and the heart beat is strong.

My doctor questioned me a bit because I haven't gained any weight yet (don't worry this will come). I reminded her when you throw up a lot...weight gain doesn't typically happen (I was polite when I said this). Now that I'm in the second trimester and not feeling nearly so icky, I should be able to gain as appropriate.

My mom says I shouldn't worry about it and just eat right. Dr. Huff always says "The baby is a little parasite...he/she will eat first."

Our next appointment is just after Thanksgiving. It is then we'll have an ultrasound and hopefully be able to tell if it is a girl baby or a boy baby. I really don't have a preference.

We just pray God will continue to keep our baby (and mama) healthy.

Kuntz Family Wiener Roast (or hot dog boil depending on the weather)

Last night was the Kuntz family wiener roast at my parent's house. This my family on my Grandpa Kuntz's side. It's like his siblings, their kids, on down. It also usually includes a few random people who know someone in the family.

I always enjoy this event and this year was no different. My dad did a fine job of embarrassing my sister and I with his public announcements. First he asked Mark to pray, which is fine. But then he introduced him to the crowd as the "Father of my future grandchild." Mark is no longer a individual person but the "Father of the grandchild."

Diana fared a little better when she and Nicholas arrived. He was given a name when their engagement was announced to the group.

We're glad dad likes to share about his kids...it just sometimes is a little more large-scale then I'd probably choose.

My uncle Steve though also joined in by introducing Jen, Zach's fiancee...so we weren't alone :).

It was chilly last night but with the heated shed we did just fine. They did have a fire and some brave men pretty much cooked all the hot dogs and brats.

I don't have any pictures but everyone seemed to have a good time.

Cheers until next October!

Back from Florida

I love Florida. I love the weather, the beach, the people...it's just great. We had a fabulous vacation. Unfortunately my camera battery was about to die, so I don't have much for picture. Besides, I don't usually feel pretty in beach pictures.

First we went to the Lakewood Retreat with the Sarasota church. We had a wonderful time. We got to see some friends, see a new baby, and chat about pregnancy with folks in like condition.

Then it was off to Tampa to spend time with my cousin and her family and go to Busch Gardens. I couldn't do any roller coasters but they have some very mild rides and shows, so it was a good day. It worked well because my cousin has a 3-year old son so we hung out all day and Mark, Dad, and Mom did the roller coasters.

Then we went down to Siesta Key Beach. If you ever are trying to decide what beach to visit in Florida, this one comes with my highest recommendation. It has beautiful soft white sand. It has a lot of quartz in it, which keeps the sand from getting very hot even in the Florida sun. We did a few hours there with my parents before they flew back home.

Mark and I also rented a kayak and kayaked in the lagoon. Very relaxing and fun. It was difficult to find a "fun activity" that would be safe for this pregnant lady but we managed.

We had a wonderful trip. I finally have a slight tan which I know will fade very quickly.

The morning sickness wasn't too bad over our trip which I was very thankful for.

It's good to be home but I'll always love sunny Florida.

Baby update

I had a doctor appointment on Friday. She said our baby's heartbeat is nice and strong. It sure makes this mamma's heart warm to hear that.

My morning sickness has definitely improved. I was truly hungry (not the I have to eat or I'm going to be sick kind of hungry) for the first time in 2 months yesterday. It was a great feeling. This is just in time for our trip to Florida which is great.

We praise God for his faithfulness and strength thus far in our journey.

Best wishes to you all!

Drinking the same water

It seems there has been a recent rush of people annoucing their pregnancies. It may just be my perception due to the fact many of my friends are married and hence now having children.

Mark and I are happy to announce we are joining in. We are expecting our first child next April.

Things are going fine. I have definitely felt decieved by the term "morning sickness." No one told me it would last all day. But it has improved and I hear it should continue to get better.

As I tell the baby "Mamma loves you even though you make her sick."

We're just thankful for our new little one on the way.

2 years!!

It has been two wonderful years since I married this fabulous man!!

Happy Anniversary Honey!!

Why fixing the ceiling is so important

If you haven't already heard, Mark and I have been re-securing all the ceilings in our new house. When we were putting lighting in, we discovered that the drywall was sagging pretty bad. When they built the house, they used glue and a few nails. Well as the years roll by, that glue loses some of its ability to hold.

Mark discovered that there were places he could stick his hand between the drywall and the support beams in the ceiling. We want to add more insulation before the winter for energy efficiency, but if the ceilings aren't secure...they might not stay where they should.

Here is a picture of a nail that popped out as the dry wall jumped back into position after Mark added the screws. It really doesn't do it justice, how much we needed to add to the security of the ceiling.

I'm just glad I can rest easy knowing that it will take an awful lot to bring that ceiling down now.

More fun with Joel

Today I called down to Georgia to talk to the Lindberg family. As often is the case, Joel answered the phone. I always enjoy talking with Joel as you never know what he'll say. After a brief conversation, he asked me if I wanted to talk to his mom. Sure I replied. He then said "She just went to take a nap." I quickly had to let him know that he didn't need to wake her to talk to me.

He then offered several other people, who also happened to be sleeping. I told Joel I was just calling for fun, so let's limit it to those who he can see are awake.

He first offered Hannah to me but then decided he was reading with her so that wouldn't due. I ended up with Rachel, which was great.

It is important to be very specific when you make requests of Joel and assume nothing is understood (like to don't wake people up).

Hole/Crack in the Ceiling

Mark and I recently redid the ceiling in the living room. After re-securing it, texturing, and painting we realized the large crack that was in the hallway just at the entrance to the living room was rather ugly. We tried several patching techniques. Finally we had to go purchase a new piece of drywall and make a large patch for the ceiling. I don't have a picture of the finished work right now but it turned out pretty good. Here are some of the beginning pictures.

Just like my mom

I love my mom. I think she is great. As I get older, I realize I'm becoming more and more like her. As I put the packages I bought today on the floor of my closet (where my mom puts hers when they can't immediately be put away), I saw just one more thing that makes me like her.

Now I do have some distinct characteristics that are from my dad like that I ...

-Love a good story

-Laugh at my own jokes

-And a few classic expressions

But just as I resemble my mom more than my dad (minus the height thing), I probably have more things that are like my mom...

Here are just a few to mention

-I do something stupid and even though nobody knows about it I tell them anyway

-I start one cleaning task and then move onto another before the first (or second or third) is finished

-I laugh when people are making fun of me

-I love to have people over just to hang out

-I hate looking at picture of myself

-I spend a lot of time planning family vacations and probably get more pleasure out of people enjoying themselves with the plans I made than the vacation itself

-I always need to make sure the people I love are well fed

Here is a picture of my mom with my sister Diana from my wedding. I'm hoping that I age like my mom. That hair color is all nautral people...no gray.

I love you Mom!

$750 Lemonade Shake-Up

This weekend Mark and I volunteered at the Gateway Woods sale (Where else would a lemonade shake-up go for $750?). We worked in the green tent in the morning displaying and carrying items that were up for auction. This is truly one of the great social events of the year. It was great to see many old friends and catch up with a few people. Mark's uncle Jeff is the administrator out there, so we stayed with them and got to catch up a bit with some family.

Here is Mark holding up a quilt for display.














We had one funny incident. My friend Abe was walking through the tent when he saw me working and he waved. This action accidentally won him a $25 wood cabinet...oops.

This is the only item we bought on the auction. A Vera Bradley pink purse (obviously for me).

Stinky Scare

Saturday evening Mark and I decided to take a walk around our neighborhood. Just as we were rounding a corner, we saw this small animal in a person's yard.

At first I'm thinking "that's a funny looking cat." Then I saw the white stripes, it was no cat.
It was a SKUNK. All of sudden we saw its tail start to rise.

It was only about 10 feet away from us with his tail toward us. Mark and I recognized what it was at the same time. Mark said "It's time to go." We did a very quick 180 and quickly sped back towards our house.

It never sprayed but none the less we did run the rest of the way home (a long walk had lost its appeal). While our walk was cut short, we got a nice little run it. My heart rate was definitely up.

When I got home I did research on how to keep them away from your yard. Basically don't leave stuff outside that it might want to eat. We should be good.

Laser Tag

This weekend Mark & I along with some friends played Laser Tag. It was so much fun! If you come visit, we can go :) There are actually a decent variety of fun things to do in Joliet. I look forward to exploring them as we live here.

Tour of the House

Sorry these pictures have taken so long to post. I wanted to wait until a few more things were done before I posted pictures of our house. I didn't post pictures of the bathrooms or the basement but this gives you a general idea of the house. We love company, so visitors are always welcome.

Living Room

Office - Where I spend most of my time

Master Bedroom

Kitchen

Kitchen from the table

Guest Room (company always welcome)

Back of the House

Front of the House

Giggling Customer Service Rep

I had to call Comcast (again) about some issues with accessing my on-line account. I was having a pretty bizarre problem (an issue with running around in circles) and when I explained it to the rep...he giggled.

Now I've had some pretty bad customer service from Comcast (if you have ever used Comcast you can probably relate). I try to be patient but I'll admit I do call them with a bit of a chip on my shoulder. Usually the last people I work with are great...as they are the ones who actually help me.

Well this guy's giggle certainly improved my mood. At first I was a trifle annoyed that he had the audacity to giggle. But it ended up relaxing me a bit and he proved to be quite helpful.

I may try giggling at the next person who comes off annoyed at me.

Sleeping in the car

I didn't have to sleep in my car tonight, but I came very close.

There are two sets of keys to my car. One is mine and the other Mark's. Because they are a bit bulky Mark leaves his set of my keys along with a few others at home when he goes to work. The problem is this set of car keys, does not have a house key.

I went to Wal-Mart after Mark left for work tonight (I find shopping at night much better w/0 all the people). When I got out of Wal-Mart I realized I had Mark's set of car keys...not mine. The other problem was I had left both of my cell phones in the house (a true rarity for me).

Now our house is thankfully more secure than our apartment was meaning I can't just use a credit card to card my way through the lock. I wasn't confident I'd remembered to lock the door when I left and for once I was hoping I had forgotten.

Thankfully when I arrived home, the door was unlocked. Not that this is very safe or smart...but tonight it proved a good thing.

Had it not been unlocked I either would have had to sleep in my car until Mark arrived at home (he works 3rd shift you don't know this) or gone to Caterpillar and found some security guard to help me find him. I haven't really been around the facility in Joliet like I had been in Thomasville, so that could have been interesting.

I'm off to go sleep in my bed (thankfully:))

Fun Father's Day (a little late)

We went down to Central Illinois this weekend for a belated Father's Day. We first celebrated with my Kuntz cousins. It was great to attend one of these again. I always loved Kuntz birthdays. We tend to get together for all major holidays and then some random birthday celebrations. It used to be about every month but since life has become a little busier, it's more like once a quarter. With Mark and I in GA, we didn't make it much.

Then we had brunch with my Vercler grandparents and my immediate family on Saturday morning. That was really nice too. Mom made fabulous food.

I don't have any pictures because I forgot my camera. But the memories are there.

Asking nicely

We have a guy who I think every Wednesday comes in the morning to pick up the kids from the neighbor across the street. Normally our neighborhood is quiet and peaceful. Except on these mornings he comes in playing extremely loud music. He then leaves his car running, doors & windows open, and goes into the house. He is in there an extended length of time. I'm assuming he leaves the music going so he can hear it in the house.

Mark is on 3rd shift right now and while it maybe doesn't disrupt him too bad...it drives me crazy. I'm confident it is a noise violation.

Well today I decided to be a friendly neighbor and ask them not do play the music so loud. I wandered over, introduced myself, and made my request. It helped a lot that I could say my husband worked 3rd and is sleeping. I asked very politely if there was anyway it could be shut off.

The neighbors were very nice and quickly the music ceased. Ahhh the quiet again. I don't know if this is the end of our noise routine but it was great for today.

Missing the Family

This afternoon I had a bit of an opportunity to chat with the Lindberg family back in Georgia. I do miss spending time with them very much.

I had a wonderful conversation with Joel about his birthday and things going on in our house. He is really growing up and a lot of fun to talk to. Here is a great shot of him licking the wisk after making brownies.

I do miss them all so very much.

I don't think I look that young

Sometimes people think I'm younger than I am but typically they are in the general ball park.

Today a salesman rang our door bell, when I answered he asked

"Is your mom or dad home?"

It threw me for a bit of a loop. I smiled and replied "No, I'm the wife."

He blushed and responded that I look young. Now our neighborhood has a lot of families and some-what older people in it but still...

Here is a recent picture. Now I wasn't as dressed up as this picture shows but you'll get the general idea of how I look.

Hello out there

hello to all those who check my blog. We've been very busy with the move. We are officially "moved in" but that just means all our stuff is in this house.

The closing went fine and moving in has actually gone pretty well. When we moved in though we realized something crazy about this house...it had no over head lights in the living room or any of the bedrooms. Mark and my dad have been busy putting in the wires for the new lights and fans. We have 2 and 1/2 of them up so we're doing pretty good.

I'll post pictures soon.

Feeling Ditzy

I thought I wasn't going to post for a while but...anyway.

Since we are moving to Illinois Mark and I drove his car up a little over a week ago to look at houses etc. We then flew back to Georgia and are living with only one vehicle for the next week and a half. Since I work from home it isn't that big of a deal.

The problem is in my fairly frazzled state...I keep forgetting this. On Monday I made out all my errands to run over lunch, only to walk out a realize I had no car. The errands had to wait until Mark got home.

Today my friend Dorcas called to meet up for lunch at Pizza Hut. Sounded great to me. I totally forgot not having a car until I walked out to leave. Thankfully Pizza Hut is really close, so she just picked me up.

The crazy part of that whole deal was I talking to my mother-in-law just prior to leaving and telling her I wouldn't be out to do voice lessons with Lydia until later because Mark had the car. I just didn't put it all together when it came to lunch.

Oh well...I made it. I just keep feeling a bit foolish.

New Home

Mark and I put an offer and it was accepted for our first house. It's in Joliet, IL. The house is only 5 miles (12 minute) drive from Mark's new job, which makes me very excited. I think it will suit us well.

Hope ya'll can come visit.

P.S. I haven't written much as things have been really busy with the move. Mark and I were exhausted last night. We still have a ways to go.

Hopefully once the move is complete, I'll be back up posting.

Moving On

It's official. For those of you who haven't heard, Mark accepted a position with Caterpillar in...

Joliet, Illinois!

With great joy and a few tears, we are making our way back up to the Midwest.We've felt the Lord's leading in this process and look forward to many new experiences.

We'll be attending the Apostolic Church in Chicago. We are looking forward to being a regular part of a congregation.

We have been immensely blessed here in Georgia and praise the Lord for his grace and mercy.

With love,
Mark & Laura

We go together

I knew Mark and I spent a lot of time together, but I didn't realize other people noticed. One of our typical routines is late in the evening after dinner, we'll go to Wal-Mart to do our weekly grocery shopping. I could go by myself but I don't really like to and if I wait until later it is less busy.



Last week while I was away, Mark had to pick up a few things. He went through the check-out line of one of our usual checkers. As he got to the front she asked..."Missing somebody."



He smiled and replied "She is out of town on a business trip."



I guess other people notice we are joined at the hip.

Home again

Greetings. It has been a while since my last post due to a trip up North. I was in South Bend, Leo, Roanoke, and Gridley all in the last 8 days. It was wonderful to see so many friends and family. I'm also thankful to be back home with Mark.

Talk to you later.

Curious George and Tears

This weekend while Mom and Dad Lindberg were up in Illinois for Great-grandpa's funeral, Mark and I stayed with the kids. We had a wonderful time and the family was a joy to be with.

We decided to rent a movie one night and selected Curious George. Now I loved this moved and thought it was very cute and nicely done. Excellent choice for kids.

Not scary...or so I thought. There is one scene in which Curious George is taken away by animal control. It isn't overly aggressive but...as the scene ends all of a sudden we here this very deep inhale from Rachel. She is notably crying at poor George's fate.

We quickly hugged her and assured her George would be ok. She watched it again Sunday without incident.

Such a sensitive little girl.

Here she is with big brother Josh.

Josh and Bethany

As most of you probably already know, my bro-in-law, Josh, is getting married at the end of May. Both Mark and I are in the wedding and we are very excited about it.

Josh and Bethany came to visit the family in Georgia not that long ago. Here is a picture of the happy couple.

You can't see in this picture that Josh has a big boot on his foot. He broke it at work a while back. He's doing well and hopefully be walking normally by May 25th.

We wish them love and joy in their life together.