It's about time...

Yes, it's true, I am finally back into cyberspace! Our internet service was hooked up yesterday, but now my computer is acting up! It is taking forever for pages to download, and we have DSL!

I am really looking forward to sharing events from the last couple of weeks with you all, but I don't really have time today. We have our annual Youth Conference this week, so I am working in the nursery tonight. I also have to finish cleaning our apt. (yes, procrastination!), make a slew of cards that I missed in the middle of all this craziness, and still work on the rest of the unpacking, among a few other things. I do have Thursday off this week, so if I can't get to it today, I'll try to get some things posted in the next few days.

Hope you all are doing well, and I can't wait to catch up on all the blog happenings! :-)

Waiting...

Just a quick note to let you know that I am still alive! AT&T screwed up and didn't get our internet set up when they were supposed to do so, and I do not have internet access at home yet. Chris has graciously brought his work laptop home for me to use (on someone else's nearby wireless.) I should have internet at home up and running on Tuesday. I checked my Google Reader the other night, and had 163 blog entries to catch up on! I'll be busy trying to catch up on everything when I finally get internet again!

Our anniversary trip was AWESOME!!! We had a wonderful and very relaxing time! I'll tell you all about it next week, and hopefully I'll get my Kodak Easyshare program up and going again, as well, so I can share some of the 310 pictures I took on our trip! :-)

Hope you all have had a great 2 weeks! More next week...

Trying to catch up...

OK, bear with me here as I try to catch up on blogging before I don't have internet access for at least a week!

The last 2 Saturdays, Chris and I have gone to Louisville Bats games. It is great fun (yes, I'm starting to really LIKE baseball!), and a great way to spend Saturday evenings rather just sitting at home watching TV. The mascot is hilarious, and though the Bats have lost every game, it's just fun being at the game. When we went on the 7th, there was a family sitting in front of us with a little baby boy. For the last 2 innings, the baby just smiled and laughed at me while I made faces at him (he couldn't have been much more than 6 months old.) He was adorable. They also had a guy doing juggling acts between innings. He actually juggled 3 real running chainsaws. It was pretty cool.

This past week, the only entertainment was the mascot. He is great, and does a great job of getting people involved. Both days ended with gorgeous sunsets.

We saw something unusual on the way home from church last night... 2 metro Louisville police officers... driving 4 wheeler ATV's down the road. Now, I've seen police officers on horses, bikes, motorcycles, Segways, and in cars and SUV's, but never on 4 wheelers!

Here is another funny story (at least to me!) A few weeks ago on the way home from church Chris and I were driving through downtown (rather than on the interstate). We stopped at a stoplight right at the bottom of an exit ramp from the interstate that is closed for construction. Also at the bottom of this ramp is a police officer sitting in a car with the lights flashing to keep people from the construction site. Well, we stopped at the light and sat there for almost 30 seconds, then all of the sudden Chris started to drive. Now, of course, you may not think this is any big deal... until you find out that the light WAS STILL RED!!!! Apparently Chris was watching the next light down (which had just turned green) instead of the light we were sitting at! Now, every time we go by that light, Chris says something to the effect of, "You know, I saw someone run this light the other day. I mean, they stopped and everything, and sat there for a while, and then drove right through the red light." To which I always crack up laughing!

We went to closing today, and now OFFICIALLY ARE HOMEOWNERS AGAIN! Most of our stuff is packed, but Chris is working on packing the electronics tonight. The movers come tomorrow morning at 9 am. I am so excited that I get to UNPACK finally! The house is so nice, and the man that sold it to us is a dental hygenist. This translates into the fact that he did tons of work on the house, and did it PERFECTLY! The house was basically spotless when I did the walk-through this afternoon. The guy is super nice, and incredible helpful.

OK - I know I had tons more to post about than this, but I'm tired and I can't remember what I was going to tell you. Oh, yeah... on July 3rd, Chris and I got back some results from our infertility testing. The doc told us that it is POSSIBLE for us to have our own biological children, but not probable without some outside help. He is doing some further testing, and we should know what all of our options are after Wednesday. We probably won't act on anything for a while, but it is such a relief to have some answers, and above that, some hope! Of course, we serve the God of the impossible, so you never know what might happen! We're just waiting for His direction and timing in this area of our lives.

On Sunday, Chris and I celebrate our 7th anniversary. I just want to tell you all that I am so blessed to have Chris as my husband. We've been through a lot, but I'm thankful for such a Godly, loving, thoughtful husband. I could go on and on about what I love about him, but I'll spare you all the MUSH! :-) This Saturday we leave for my surprise anniversary get-away. I only know that we are leaving at 2 pm on Saturday and coming back sometime Tuesday morning. Other than that, I have no clue as to any other plans.

I won't have internet for the next week at least due to the move and phone service not being hooked up until the 20th, then waiting again for DSL, and being gone for the weekend. So - hope you all have a GREAT week! When I get back, I'm planning on posting some of our wedding pics and some pictures of us "through the years." Stay tuned... I'll be back! :-)

Progress?!?

In spite of my horrible habits of e-crastination (see previous post) and ADD when it comes to packing, I am making some progress: Speaking of progress... I was off work for 2 days, and look what my little baby is doing...
that's right... he is WALKING LIKE CRAZY! He turned 20 months the 11th, and decided that he can walk now!

Here is a picture of the beautiful clouds I saw on my way home from work today.
Here is a home decor project that I have in the works... 4 pieces of corkboard, fabric remnants from my kitchen curtains, 2 salvaged magnetic boards... can you guess what I'm making?!?!?

Words that Really Should Exist from A to Z

Our SS teacher shared this with us a few weeks back... another funny for you today!

Abracadabbler: an amateur magician
Badaptation: a bad movie version of a good book
Carbage: the trash found in your automobile
Dadicated: being the best father you can be
Ecrastinate: checking your e-mail just one more time
Faddict: someone who has to try every new trend that comes along
Gabberflasted: the state of being speechless due to someone else talking too much
Hackchoo: when you sneeze and cough at the same time

*** I am LOL right now just sharing these!***

Iceburg: an uppity, snobbish neighborhood
Jobsolete: a position within a company that no longer exists
Knewlyweds: a second marriage for both
Lamplify: turning on (or up) the lights within a room
Mandals: sandals for men
Nagivator: someone who constantly assists with driving directions in an overly critical manner

*** My mom told me not to tell my dad about this one!***

Obliment: an obligatory compliment
Pestariffic: adjective describing a particularly pesty person
Qcumbersome: a salad that contains too many cucumbers
Ramdumbtious: a rowdy, energetic person who is not too bright
Sanktuary: a graveyard for ships
Testimoney: fees paid to expert witnesses
Unbrella: an umbrella that the wind has turned inside-out
Vehiculized: you own a vehicle
Wackajacky: very messed up
Xerocks: two identical pieces of stone
Yawnese: the language of someone trying to speak while yawning

*** and LAST, but not LEAST...***

Zingle: a single person with a lot of pep in his or her step!

Hope you enjoyed these and had a laugh today!

The Fly Lady

No, this is not the Fly Lady organizer... this is me, and a funny (at least in my mind) story about me and flies. The house that I work at is filled with animals (not just the kids who ACT like animals at times!) :-) With all of these animals, especially with them coming in and out of the house, come flies. I have become pretty good at killing flies with my bare hands... which, I know, is really gross, but it's either that or having them annoy you and land on the baby and annoy him! Today I was sitting here minding my own business, catching up on all of the blogs I keep up with on Google Reader, and I had a very active fly buzzing around me. They are painting the outside door of our apt, and I believe the painter let a fly in! So - I go grab my trusty fly swatter, thinking that maybe the fly will land somewhere and that will be the death of him. Well, the fly was too busy buzzing around to find somewhere to land, so I just started swinging the fly swatter through the air, hoping to scare him off to another room for the time being. (The mental picture of myself that I get here is making me laugh out loud!)

Well, I finally locate this buzzing annoyance, and swing the fly swatter haphazardly in the general direction of where he was last seen, and SPLAT!! I see a little mark on my wall... YES, it's true, I ACTUALLY HIT him out of mid-air! He dropped on my ironing board where I whacked him a few more times to be sure he was lifeless, and then threw the remains in the trash.

Not 2 minutes later, I hear another buzzing sound. Much to my dismay, it is ANOTHER fly. (Yes, I checked the trash to be sure the LAST one was still in there!) I sat here, waiting for another opportune moment with my handy-dandy fly swatter (in a stylish PURPLE color, I might add.) I only had to wait a few seconds for his appearance... I swung my tool of choice, and SPLAT... yet another mark on my wall that I must clean off in the next two days. I again cleaned up the remains, this time from my filing tote, and MADE sure he was dead in a paper towel in the trash.

So - if you need to remove any of these buzzing annoyances from your home... just call the Fly Lady... whether they are sitting on your desk, or flying in mid-air, this Fly Lady can kill them ANYWHERE!

**** OK - I really have WAY too much time on my hands... or I am SUPER procrastinating because I am VERY tired and don't want to PACK another thing in my house!**** LOL At least this story made ME smile! :-)

A laugh for today

My sister forwarded this to me via e-mail, and I laughed so hard, I figured you all may enjoy a laugh today, too! I think this is HILARIOUS! Now HERE is a plumber with a sense of humor!

I am so blessed!

One of the verses I read in my devotions this morning really jumped out at me again: Psalm 68:19 "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah."

I am so blessed! First of all, I have accepted God's gift of salvation which protects me from an eternity spent in Hell, and above that, gives me the certainty of an eternal home in Heaven. But not only did God do THAT for me, He also DAILY LOADS me with BENEFITS! Everything else good that happens to me on a daily basis is just another benefit from God that He desires to give to me ABOVE and BEYOND all that He has already given, and exceedingly abundantly above what I deserve. Thank you, Lord, for the many benefits that you have given me!

Pictures of my family from the wedding

Here are some candid (sort of) family pictures of my family.

Grandpa&Grandma Decker (a rare grin~in pictures~ for Grandpa!)
Mom&Dad Chromy (another rarity ~ Dad wasn't talking!)
Tom&Heidi (my sis)
Tyler (Heidi's oldest)
Jake (Heidi's middle)

Emma (Heidi's youngest)

Kathryn&Steve (my oldest brother)

Heather (that's me! - I'm the middle!)&Chris

Greg (my middle brother) & Rachael

Aksana (Greg's baby girl)

Caroline&Nathan (my youngest brother)Nathan, Caroline, Heather, Chris

Reception photos

Wedding photos 2

Wedding photos 1

Rehearsal Cookout

We had a cookout for the rehearsal "dinner." Caroline's aunt was gracious enough to allow us to have it at her house. She was a wonderful hostess... my parents bought the food and did the preparations, etc, and Caroline's aunt made sure all the salads were ready, etc. It was a delicious dinner... I mean, how many people really don't like hot dogs or hamburgers on the grill?!?! (Unless you're a vegetarian or something!) After we ate, we had a time where people got up and said something (memories, etc) about the couple. Of course, my brothers and sister stole the show with funny memory stories! Caroline's family is a bit more subdued. I have to tell you, my brother, Greg, is hilarious. He just has such a way of making funny comments in such a deadpan way. Anyway, here are a few pics from the cookout...

Jake in the hammock swing
Dad grilling the meat
Dad "eating" the meat :-)
Jake, Emma, and Heidi enjoying supper
Aksana just about to baptize herself with the water... Nathan&Caroline's "adopted" parents from Pensacola
Caroline's grandpa
Caroline's mom
Greg giving his "speech"
Steve giving his "speech"
Heidi's speech
Caroline's family/friends
Jake playing with Aksana...
Caroline&Nathan
Caroline&Nathan with the cross-stitch I made for them.

A Pleasant and Very Welcome Surprise!

My husband told me this morning on his way out the door, "If I don't call you at noon, call me. I have a surprise for you!" Of course, I was trying to think of what it could possibly be, and was thinking that it would be GREAT if he surprised me by giving me money to buy stamps from the new Stampin' Up! catalog at the stamping party tonight. Well, I was waiting with great anticipation... I mean, 2 surprises in a month and neither of them involve exercise equipment (long story)... This is amazing!

So - I call my hubby at noon... on the dot... and no answer. I figure that he is working with a customer, so I sit and patiently wait for his return phone call. He calls back a few minutes later...

A few weeks ago, Chris had a customer buy a vehicle from him. This customer happens to be the owner of a ServiceMaster franchise, Two Men and a Truck, and a few other businesses. Chris called him this morning, and this man graciously is sending Two Men and a Truck to our apartment next Tuesday morning at 9am... TO MOVE OUR STUFF!!!! (at a very discounted rate!) YEAH!!! Now, this might not mean much to you, but it is a HUGE deal to me! Both Chris and I have been seeing a chiropractor for back problems. My back is really bad, and the thought of lugging boxes and helping Chris carry furniture down a flight of stairs and then again into our new house made me (and my chiropractor) shudder! My back hurts just thinking about it! :-) I still have to get everything packed ~ which is not a HUGE deal because most of our stuff has been packed since... well, since we moved to Maryland in April 2005. I have moved enough times now to leave everything packed until I'm pretty sure that we're going to stay somewhere for a while. When we moved here, we weren't sure we were staying longer than a year, and if we did end up staying longer than a year, we were planning to buy a house anyway. All that to say, my very thoughtful husband is saving our backs and my sanity, and hired these guys to move our things. What a blessing that will be! That also means that I will be packing on Thursday and Friday on my days off!

I have so many more things to post about... more wedding stuff, some news that we had last week, etc... but they will have to wait for another day. I am leaving shortly to go to a stamping party tonight. I LOVE STAMPING! :-)

Have a great week!

The Wedding Rehearsal

Here are some fun pics from the wedding rehearsal. It was supposed to start at 3pm, but I was running Mom around to get final preparations done for the cookout afterward, and we didn't get to the church until closer to 3:30 or 4pm. (My mother is notorious for being late!) The rehearsal was very disorganized, but they got it done, so I guess it worked.

Chris was an usher, and was seating my Gma Decker. My gma is a RIOT, and she was cutting up the whole time down the aisle.
Caroline walking in with her brother, Danny. Caroline's Dad passed away unexpectedly in late March (I don't know the exact date), so her brother walked her down the aisle. It was a difficult time for the family... joy mingled with sadness, but they did very well considering the circumstances.
Nathan waving the candle lighter...
Caroline and Nathan
Wax lips kiss... b/c you know that they can't kiss before they get married! (Yeah, right!)

P.S. I apologize for the coloring in these photos... I don't know how to get my camera to take good indoors pictures. I've tried everything I know how to do!

Wedding picture

Alright - for those of you who have been waiting to see wedding pictures from my baby brother's wedding, here's a sneak peek. I will post more tomorrow with stories, but for now, this will have to do. I apologize for the wait ~ it has taken me this long just to go through the 388 pictures (I deleted some) and fix red eye, crop, etc. For some reason, my bro's baby blue eyes become red eye in EVERY one of the indoor pics. (My camera didn't do so well indoors, but that's life!) I have the day off tomorrow, so I'll have more time to post.

~ The groom~ Nathan ~

striking a "GQ" pose (this was a little awkward for him!)

~ The beautiful (tiny) bride ~ Caroline ~

~The lovely couple ~ Nathan & Caroline Chromy ~
~ The Chromy Family ~

Greg, Rachael, and Aksana Chromy, Heidi&Tom Thomann, Emma Thomann, Grandpa(Leon)&Grandma(Mary)Decker, Jake Thomann & Tyler Thomann(behind the grandparents), Caroline&Nathan Chromy, Steve&Kathryn Chromy, Mom(Jan)&Dad(Dick)Chromy, Heather&Chris Mitchell

~ The Chromy Kids ~
Greg (#4), Heather Mitchell (#3), Nathan (#5), Heidi Thomann(#1), Steve (#2)
This, too, was a little awkward the way the photographer posed me with Nathan. Nathan asked me if WE were getting married?!?!? YIKES! My family is not really "touchy-feely," so having our other family members this close in proximity was a little weird! (Especially to Nathan)