Feeling Manly

I know, I know...it is a rare occasion that I am able to push R away from the computer so that I can post something, but tonight I was successful. There have been several experiences in the past month that have made me feel worthy to carry my "man-card".


1) Finishing the basement: Despite the "Great Bathroom Fiasco of 2005" R convinced me to complete the job by finishing the basement. Going from cinder brick walls and concrete floor to seamless drywall and soft carpet. It took four
weeks to do everything (a considerable improvement from the four months that it took for the bathroom basement) mostly thanks to the framing and drywalling help from my Dad and the borrowed tools from an Allen and a Whitehead. We are happy with the way it turned out and welcome anyone over to enjoy it with us, although Bella's toys have already overtaken it.
Before and after pictures are displayed.












2) Getting paid: For the first time in over four years I am going to be coming home at the end of the day knowing that I made a little money for my efforts. So what if it breaks down to just a little over minimum wage, that's not so bad after eight years of post high school education...right? No matter, it still feels good.

3) Going golfing: This may be a regular occurrence for some of you, but it is extremely rare for me so a morning of golf was much appreciated. I'm not afraid to admit that I can play the whole course with 3-4 clubs, even though I still carry around a bag full of them (that makes it look like I actually know what I am doing). I am proud to say that I only had to resort to my "you never get over par on a hole" rule more than twice.

4) Yard work: Okay, it wasn't real yard work but it involved dirt, a shovel and my hands...so it counts. R, B, and I planted flowers in the spacious few feet of soil we have in front of our town home. We kept it simple but like the little splash of color it adds to our home. Here's B helping us water keep the flowers well hydrated.

5) Not showering for 3 days: admittedly not my most glorious moment, but manly nonetheless.






6) Working on my car: This was the apex of my "man month". I had been trying to ignore the blasted orange Check Engine light in my trusty Saturn for the past several months. I think I waited so long because I always feel like the mechanic works me over whenever I go to get something fixed.

"Oh wow, you need to replace your colon coil ASAP."
"Colon coil? I've never heard of that before."
"Oh yeah, it's right next to the cold fusion reactor behind the hamster runner."
"Well, if you think its important."
"For sure, if it doesn't get fixed immediately your car could blow up, or worse."

Needless to say I feel like I'm taking it up the colon coil by the time I leave, so I decided to figure this one out myself. I went to Advanced Auto and had them gather the error codes from the car and found out that the O2 sensor needed to be replaced (which costs ~$250 for a mechanic to do it). So I looked online and found a video on YouTube that shows a guy changing his O2 sensor and I said to myself "I think I can do that". So I bought the part (for $75) and in a true man move I set to work doing something that I had never before attempted armed only with a You Tube video as my instructor. Five minutes later the repair was made and my car was purring like a kitten. At this point, my manliness proven, I went inside and declared my mechanical prowess to R who gave me a well deserved congratulatory pat on the back. We'll see if the car makes it to work tomorrow. Rachel is on stand-by, just in case YouTube led me astray.

More trip to Utah

So, for my Dad's 50th we had a big party where we invited tons of people, had bratwurst and other traditional German sausage, delicious salads, cookies, and other good food. Me and my sisters were kept pretty busy trying to keep up with all the neighbors who came.

Here's a picture of my Dad (center) with his good friend (and former mission companion), Jim Renner, and wife who is an amazing sculptor and hilarious guy. This isn't a very good picture with the light in the background but I guess it's fitting since my Dad was in the spotlight the whole night and really enjoyed himself. He is a social animal. And Eric wonders where I get it from? . . .



Here's Eric in one of his more GQ moments.

Here's a pic of the 6 Oswald kids. And you think I'm tall?!

And here's the whole gang. B was a bit tired after a long day and I was feeling a bit sick so I don't look so happy. But it was really fun being with everyone. You can see the "Welcome Home" and "Happy Birthday" signs in the background. It was a trip we'll remember for years to come.

Thanks everyone! (especially Mom, who is not in any picture, but who was the main force for planning all this and taking care of everyone). We really appreciate you!

Trip to Utah - May 2008

We headed to Utah before graduation to celebrate my brother's homecoming from his 2 year mission to Panama as well as my Dad's big 5-0 Bday party. It was sooo nice to be there and see everyone. Who knows when we'll go back so I cherished this trip.

Here's Eric with my brother, Nate, just home from the mish.















B had a blast visiting everyone and getting all the attention as the only grandchild. She loved playing with her aunts and running around in the backyard. Here she is getting chased by Amanda and Tressa.








Here's B with all my sisters. ONO, Manda, and Tressa. Aren't they all so gorgeous?
You can see B was spoiled with attention!










And here's my other bro, Dave. Look at that photogenic smile! I don't know why I don't have a picture of his beautiful wife, Rashelle, but here's a link to their blog to get more info on the homecoming from her perspective.

Enjoying artichokes

Well, some of our friends remarked that they had never had artichokes before. Since E's from California, we were taken back by this and it inspired us to fix artichokes that night. Here's B with her 1st one. She loved it!! Frome now on we have to fix her one all for herself or she eats all of ours. However, she has not yet discovered that the heart is the best part. :) We'll tell her when she's older.

Mmmmmm!

April 2008

So, I thought I'd write a bit about what we've been doing these past 3 months. I'm feeling better today and actually topped it off with some Buckeye Blitz ice cream from Graeter's. It was SOOOO delicious! Of course, I may be regretting that in about 30 minutes when I head to the toilet. Anyhow . . .
Here's little B and friends Thomas and Hewitt during our trip to Philly at the beginning of April. I feel like such a slacker cause this was the only picture I took. But I went there to help my friend who had just had a baby and had to get her house ready to move. For some fun, I took her two boys and B on some outings. We went to the grocery store, story time at their library, and (across West Philly) to this AWESOME huge mansion that has toys in every room and is free for the "children of Philadelphia."
This picture was after this trip. Looks like I wore them all out, didn't I?







Next, is Miss B trying on her swimsuit for the 1st time as we got excited for the pool to open up.
At least she had the right idea . . .

Blog and Blah

Well, as aforementioned, I do so hope to post some pictures from the past couple months. As for this lofty goal--since I am not a blogger and have not yet tried Picasa--these 2 will do for now.

Plus, whenever I do have free time to blog (B's nap or bedtime) I am usually so sick by then that the last thing I want to do is stare at a computer screen while waves of nausea come crashing over me. Because afternoons and evenings are the worst for me, E and I have not had a real date in over 2 months. But maybe that's because I have a daily date with our toilet and bed. Thank goodness for Lysol wipes.

I can't help but be a bit jealous of those who have no sickness with pregnancy. Then I tell myself that they must have other challenges somewhere else. That makes me feel better. A little.

Plus, "it could be worse." I am usually GREAT in the morning and have no hint of nausea. HALLELUJIA! This, of course, coincides with church and most activities, which is good. However, if people looked closer they would see the dark circles under my eyes and little bruises (called petechiae) all around my face from throwing up so hard the night before.

When I'm staring at the dinner I so valiantly cooked, digested, and undigested--even though while cooking I thought "chicken never smelled so bad"--I can't help but wish for the day that this will be over. With B it was over around 16 weeks, which would be next week. So here's hoping.

But, since this consumes most of my day from 1 o'clock on, let's list the stuff that makes me sick: 1) the smell of boiled chicken, 2) the smell of cooked broccoli, 3) anything dairy products, 4) sickly sweet air fresheners, 5) Caesar salad, 6) chocolate, 7) staring at a computer screen. Ok, that's good for now. What makes/made you sick when you were pregnant?!


To end this post on a happy note. Here's B making up for my lack of eating. Here she was helping her grandma cook a delicious dessert--at least I heard it was good. She loves being a little helper!

2 more things

Oh yes, and I just had to add two more significant things that happened in the last couple months:

1) E has been working hard during his time off of school and FINISHED OUR BASEMENT! Thank you!!!!!

and

2) We are expecting Baby #2 in December! (yes, I'm still sick--ugh). Luckily, there have been no complications with this one as with the last. I've been paranoid about telling people cause of my last pregnancy, but I think I'm out of the danger zone for now. We'll see what the next ultrasound brings.

Note: Sympathy meals for any of the aforementioned events (i.e. baby, husband starting internship, etc.) are more than welcome after the aformentioned cruise in 10 days.
Just kidding. ;)

p.s. We will REALLY miss ALL our friends who are moving this next week. I start tearing up every time I think about all those empty houses where we had fun memories. I know B will especially miss her good friends Alyssa, Creed, and her favorite babysitter Katherine (& Tommie and Kassie) with her van that she just LOVED.

Last 2 months!

Hey all!
You're probably wondering what the heck happened to my posts? Actually, I won't kid myself. I'm not that significant in your lives. But, just fyi we've been super busy the last 2 months with trips to Philly, Utah, and visitors here for over a week. We've gone swimming for the first time this year and visited Fort Rapids (indoor water park).

B wore pig tails for the first time.
And . . . . drum roll please . . . E is graduating from med school TODAY! So, we're off there and then headed to Boston tomorrow for a cruise to Canada . . . more on that later.

Anyhow, gotta go. Busy day! Will post more in 10 days when we return! :)