6/18/2006

I love dancing! I love salsa! I love swing! I'm so upset that I can only go once a month and next month is during turnaround! . . . So yeah, I went dancing a lot this weekend. On Friday I (and my roomie) met up with a bunch of people from that rival refinery ;) to go salsa dancing in Beaumont. On of the live music clubs puts on a salsa night once a month. It was tons of fun (aside from the drunken Navy minesweeps who kept hitting on me and Katrina. You'll be happy to know, Peter, I did try to minister to them by teaching one of them how to salsa, but after one too many times of his hand 'slipping' from my shoulder blade to my extreme lower back, I had to call it quits . . .). Afterwards, a few of the people came over to see the house and attempted to keep me up. I don't think I've been up that late since my freshman year in college!

Saturday night was swing dancing at Taft Street Coffee in Houston. When we were waiting in line to pay, I noticed the books that were displayed had titles like Orthodoxy and Faith of My Fathers. I was starting to get suspicious, and my suspicions were confirmed when I walked in the room and saw large crosses on the walls. Sure enough, Taft Street Coffee is also the meeting place of a Houston church, Ecclesia. I thought (because of Orthodoxy) that it was a Catholic ministry, but upon looking at it's website, it's a non-denominational outreach church. Probably not one I would enjoy, since I'm rather traditional and intellectual in my style of worship, but none the less, it was cool to see a church reaching out to a group (as I know from my swing days in Denver) that does not necessarily have much of a Christian influence.

Anyway, swing dancing was a blast. It's been so long since I have been and it felt so good. Frank and I even tried a few small aerials, although I told him we'd have to practice the ones that consist of me being flipped a few times before I consent to doing them on a concrete floor! :)

Good night!

6/11/2006

Well, another hurricane season is upon us. June 1st was the official start, and we already have a named storm, Alberto (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/). Fortunately, it looks like it won't be too bad and however bad it turns out, it's headed for Florida, so SE Texas doesn't have to worry. Although, I have a good friend who will be moving to that exact area in July, so of course, I will have to start worrying about Florida storms now too . . .

Oh, and I do have a new roommate. In the time I've spent with her so far (all 2 hours of it), she seems nice. She is a junior in mechanical engineering at University of Houston and also part of a ballet company. The nice thing about her being from Houston (that's where her family is as well as her school) is that I think she'll go home most weekends. Which means I'll still hopefully have Saturdays to laze around and not get out of my pajamas. :)

Well, I must finish cleaning the kitchen. Now that I have a roommate, I can't be a slob!

6/9/2006

Great news! My eyesight has not changed from my last check up. This means I can continue to use the few pairs of contact lenses I have left as well as the new ones I ordered. Which is good, considering I'll be changing them more often. The eye doctor chided me on my lax schedule in changing them, which is about every six weeks. Apparently they are only supposed to be worn for two weeks. Of course, I thought they were four week lenses, but I guess that still doesn't excuse my laziness . . . and according to the eye doctor, my eyes are showing the telltale blood veins of too little oxygen, although I can't seen them. No matter, I hereby do declare my intention to religiously change my lenses every three weeks! (The doctor said I could wear them a little longer since I don't sleep in them).

In other news, I may have found a roommate. Or rather, she found me. Well, to be quite honest, some of the guys at work found me for her. Is that quite clear as mud? The story is that she's one of the interns at work, and, just like my internship experience, she was given very little help finding a place to stay for the summer besides being given the name of hotel where rent (if you can call it that) is $320 a week. A male intern was also staying there, but some of the guys at work who live together offered up their living room futon. He was hesitant to leave the girl at the hotel by herself (apparently some "interesting" characters reside there), so I was called upon. Of course, I am more than happy to oblige, especially as it will help with paying off my mortgage, but . . . it means I have to get the house cleaned up. I have to admit, there are many benefits to living on one's own, and a big one is not having to worry too much about housekeeping. Anyway, she's going to come by tomorrow or Sunday to check the place out and probably move in the same day . . .

The last little tidbit is small, but warms my heart, especially now that I live far away from my parents' garden. I had a wonderful lunch today, consisting mainly of a delicious BLT, complete with homegrown tomatoes. My back door neighbor was out while I was mowing my lawn the other day and offered me some of his bounty, which I gladly accepted. Although, he must think I pack away a lot more than I do, because he gave me quite a stash. Not that I'm complaining. Oh no, home grown tomatoes are nothing to sneer at! I'll just have to make some salsa . . . :)

Have a wonderful day!

6/2/2006

Well, I bit the bullet today and scheduled some doctor visits. The first is to see an eye doctor, which shouldn't be bad, but the second is for (as my plant physician so delicately put it) a "well-woman" checkup. Ugh. This will be my first "well-woman" checkup and I am not looking forward to it. The worst part is that the earliest I could get it scheduled was near the end of June, so I have an entire month to dread it . . .

In other, happier news, I visited my local library today and got a library card. They actually have a quite decent selection, considering the size of the town and library. Of course, nothing to compare to good ol' FCPL, but satisfactory none-the-less. The only thing that threw me for a loop is that I was supposed to provide a local reference. I had left my cell phone at home, so I didn't have any phone numbers, plus I don't know the address of anybody down here. I ended up putting in a friend's work phone number and leaving the address blank. Hopefully they won't come hunt me down . . .

Well, I am anxious to get to my books (almost all cheesy Christian romances, my favorite junk food for my brain ;) . Have a wonderful day, ya'll!

4/10/2006

Exactly one week ago I handed over my apartment keys and became a house dweller. And not just a dweller. I became an owner. Actually, I've been an owner since the 24th of March, but I finally got everything moved. Yay! It's been absolutely wonderful. Although . . . it's been a lot of work! I'm still nowhere near being unpacked. Mostly I've been focusing on the kitchen, tearing up all the old nasty contact paper that the previous owners had laid down and trying to put my own down. Of course, I'm super-engineering-nerdy about it and have my measuring tape out. I have a little plastic scraper that I'm using to make it all smooth and I've been careful to make sure corners dovetail perfectly. In other words, I'm taking a long time to do it! I just take comfort in the fact that once it's done I shouldn't have to worry about it for a while . . .

Today I also did something that really made me feel like a homeowner: I mowed the lawn. Ah the joys of being in charge of the upkeep yourself instead of having a maintenance man . . . still, it's completely worth it! No more noisy, smoking neighbors. No more 45-minute drive home from work (only about 10 now). Just me and my glorious house . . . that needs a lot of TLC! :)

So, for a sort of funny story to finish up the post . . . A few weeks ago at Lit (my Sunday evening activity), I was telling the girls that my birthday was coming up. One of the girls asked if I was turning 25 and when I laughed, she upped her guess to 27. All the girls were quite amazed when I said I was turning only 22. I'm actually the youngest person in the group. Anyway, after I left, I was thinking about the whole experience and I thought, "I hope they think I'm that old because I act mature, not because I look mature. I don't want to be 40 and everyone thinking I I'm 60!" Anyway, yesterday I visited a new church. Some ladies were talking to me afterwards and were quite surprised to find out I worked. One lady said she thought I looked like a college kid. Fair enough, since I should theoretically still be in college, but another lady chimed in and said "Yeah, I though you were a teenager!" !!!!! I guess I can't win!!!

Have a wonderful day! :D

3/25/2006

As promised, here's the update . . .

I realise it has been a while since I last posted. There's just been too much exciting stuff going on to take the time, but I finally figured I'd better do so.

Anyway, I am now a mature 22-year-old (please, no rolling of eyes!). My birthday was March 15th, but my real present came on the 16th, when I flew home. I went to surprise my mom for her birthday (she turned FIFTY!), so it was officially a present for her, but it was just as much a present for me. We had a ball, especially because Dad flew out her best friend from college. They hadn't seen each other in 18 years, but it was like no time had passed at all. The best part is that now I know the person that Mom talks about.

I also got to see my brother and sister-in-law and their apartment (and pets), my mom's side of the family, plus the mountains and snow. :) So all in all, a very good trip.

The previous post's smiley faces, however, are due to the fact that as of 3:00 pm yesterday, I am officially a homeowner. Yay!! I signed my life away and cut a huge check, but I couldn't be happier. I cannot wait to get out of this apartment! I won't actually get to move in until Wednesday, but I have started packing all my junk. It's a good thing I only have an apartment's worth of stuff to move and not an entire house . . . .

¡Hasta luego! (that's for you, Mom. Just imagine me saying it with a gringo accent . . . ;)

3/24/2006

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

(There'll be more tomorrow, I promise!)

3/7/2006

Well, I believe that I have finally arrived at work. I got back to my office today after having wandered around outside, and found a little white box on my desk. Business cards! Yay!!! Now I can hand them out oh so casually, imagining all the while how they will be filed away in somebody's Rolodex. Oh, the bliss! :D

My mom sent me an email the other day that I found amusing. I hope you enjoy it too! (The parenthetical notes are all my own).

You know you're from Colorado when:
1. You switch from "heat" to "A/C" in one day.
2. You know what the "People's Republic of Boulder" means.
3. Your sense of direction is: towards the mountains and from the mountains (yes, I have gotten lost here without the mountains!).
4. The bike on your car is worth more than your car and you have your own special bike lane.
5. You're able to drive 65 mph through 13 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without even flinching.
6. You take your out-of-town guests to Casa Bonita even though you would never go there otherwise.
7. You think your major food groups are granola bars, tofu and Fat Tire Beer.
8. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit (as opposed to here, where they are purposely designed skimpy . . .).
9. You think that sexy lingerie is wool socks and flannel PJs.
10. You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and blizzards.
11. You've been tear gassed in a riot to celebrate a CU/CSU victory (CSU all the way, baby!).
12. You can never figure out why your out-of-town guests faint from altitude sickness on a picnic to the mountains.
13. You know the "correct" pronunciation of Buena Vista (and it makes you cringe . . . ).
14. Your car insurance costs more than your car.
15. You have surge protectors on every outlet.
16. April showers bring May blizzards.
17. "Timberline" is a place you have actually been.
18. You know what a "Chinook" is.
19. You know what a "Rocky Mountain Oyster" is.
20. You know what a "fourteener" is.
21. But you don't know what a "turn signal" is.
22. A bear on your front porch doesn't bother you nearly as much as a Republican in Congress does.
23. Your golf bag has a 9-iron, a 3-wood and a lightning rod.
24. You know who Alfred Packer was and what he did.
25. You know who Baby Doe Tabor was.
26. SPF 90 is not out of the question (and is probably not strong enough . . .).
27. People from out of state breathe 5 times as often as you do.
28. Having a Senator named Nighthorse doesn't seem strange.
29. Thunder has set off your car alarm.
30. A full moon has never kept you awake at night.
31. You have an $800 stereo in a $300 truck.
32. A sudden loss of cabin pressure is not a big deal.
33. You think a red light means 3 more cars can go.
34. Where we're going, we don't need roads!!
35. You know where Doc Holliday's grave is.
36. You know where Buffalo Bill's grave is.
37. You know where the real "South Park" is (I get a lot of grief over this!).
38. You can recognize the license plates of all 50 states on sight.
39. Driving directions usually include "Go over ___________ Pass."
40. You've done "checking for ticks."
41. You've dressed in shorts, sandals, and a parka w/ a hood.
42. You've gone snow skiing in July and...
43. You've gone sunbathing in January and...
44. They were in the same year!
45. You've urinated on the Continental Divide just so it could "run into both oceans." (Mom said that this one is especially for my brothers. The sad thing is, I know it's true, as I hid in the car while they did their dirty deed!)
46. And the most important: You get a certain feeling of satisfaction from knowing that both California and Texas are downstream. (Mom said this one was for me. And all I have to say is: Go for it, Michael and Peter! ;)

3/6/2006

Well, I have two more incidents to chalk up to my ability to attract older men. Not only did I flirt with my instructor at Rescue Training so I could get photos like this (see more on my photo page, they extend to the second page on that site), I also managed to pick up a guy at the grocery store today. Or rather, he tried to pick me up. I went shopping right after work (still wearing my coveralls, which I know better than to do if I want to shop in peace!) and sure enough was hit on by some random old guy. After ascertaining my marital and dating status he tried to give me his number, poor guy, but I told him it wouldn't do him any good. I did, however take pity on him, since he had just moved to the area, and gave him directions to the local bar in that area . . . The only problem is, I really couldn't remember quite where it was located. I'm pretty sure I gave the right directions, but I might have led him on a wild goose chase. Oops! Oh well, I figure if I did it should teach him not to try to pick up young women in the supermarket. Oh, and he said I didn't look like an engineer!!! Harrumph! Serves him right if he's wandering around Nederland in the dark! :)

3/3/2006

I love salsa!!! :D

2/21/2006

I love getting to play and getting paid for it! Today I started my four-day rescue training class. Instead of going to work, I got to sleep in and drive half the distance to go jump off towers. Woo hoo! We played with knots, learned how to set up rigging, and practiced lowering each other off a 60 (or so) foot building. Very fun! Tomorrow we're going to practice patient packaging and lowering. Man, I can't wait to be dropping to the ground while strapped to a backboard . . . .

I was one of two females in the class of 27, and the other was quite a bit older. While this in no way bothered me (Mines taught me nothing if not to be used to being in the extreme minority), I found it interesting that there was always a guy waiting to help me unhook after being lowered. Even more interesting is the fact that none of the guys in my group received any help unhooking when they were lowered. So the question is, did the asistees think I needed more help, or did they just enjoy getting up close and personal with the sole pretty young girl? Hmm . . .Fortunately, I am either a) easygoing or b) egotistical, and have decided it was the latter. I found it very amusing. We'll have to see if that continues through the week!

Oh, and I've decided that BBQ is to (SE) Texas what pizza is anywhere else. Lunch is provided with this course, and what else did we get but BBQ. This has been quite the trend in most of the lunches I've had in the past month or so. However, I don't think I've had pizza yet. The amazing thing is that the BBQ is always the same: brisket and possibly sausage, baked beans, dirty rice, flimsy white bread, onions, pickle and banana pudding topped with vanilla wafers. The drink is always iced tea. Today I was really excited, because there was potato salad too. Amazing! I guess I really can't complain (and honestly, I'm not, the food is generally pretty good), it's just another way to tell that I've a moved into a whole other culture!

2/19/2006

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I placed a bid on a house and it was accepted. Yay!! :) I will now be going through the lending, inspecting, etc. process, but assuming that it all goes well, I should be in the house within 2 months. I cannot wait to get out of this apartment!

For the curious (Dad), the address is . . . well, just email me to find out. While I haven't actually driven from the house to work (I'll try that on Monday), I'm sure it is no more than 10 minutes from work. Much better than the 30/45/60 minute drive I have to and from work now!

Also, I've posted some pictures online, so visit my photo page (link is to the right), check them out, and let me know what you think! :)

2/16/2006

I must apologize for my deliquency in posting. I do have a somewhat valid excuse, however. My cable was down for a week, which affected not only my TV viewing, but also my ability to et online. In fact, it was the internet part that was more bothersome than the TV part. I can live without TV, not so the internet! Although, had the cable not gotten fixed 5 hours before the Olympic opening ceremony, I would have been one unhappy camper! Fortunately, I have been able to enjoy the Olympics from the start and am looking forward to the men's free skate tonight. :) :)

Despite the fact that I haven't posted in a while, you haven't missed much. I was pretty sick last week, enough so that I missed work on Friday. I was worried I was going to get the lingering cough, but gallons of water and cranberry juice must have staved that off. Sadly, though, I had to miss a camping trip, Settler's of Catan game night, plus a discussion on limited atonement at church. I would gladly give those up again, though, if that's what it takes to keep from getting the seal-like bark.

Other than that, nothing too exciting. To show how boring my life is and how completely pathetic I am, I must confess that this afternoon I spent some time using my digital camera to record myself talking and singing. I've always wondered what I sound like and after today I can confirm that I cannot sing! Ouch, I was terrible! I sang along with songs off my computer and boy, did I butcher them. Not that this is any surprise, but I thought I could at least carry a tune! My church singing volume is going to approach zero from now on. Either that, or I'll have to sit far away from anyone else!

Oh, and I had not one, but two guys call to wish me happy Valentine's Day. Very odd!

2/4/2006

I have just finished reading The Chosen (for the second time) & The Promise (for the first) by Chaim Potok. I have discovered why a book is such a harder entertainment than the TV, and not just because it requires the trained ability to read versus the natural ability to see & hear. The TV is easy. I can come home, turn it on and be absolutely passive. I can get up and move around while it's on, preparing my dinner, cleaning the house, checking my email. It only requires a portion of my brain & none of my heart or soul. It is just as easy to turn it off as it is to turn on. When I am tired, it is no great difficulty to leave it and go to bed. When errands need to be done or chores be completed, it is no great hardship to leave the TV because, since it has required nothing of me, I have given nothing to it. I fee no great sympathy for those on-screen and no compulsion to continue viewing. My life continues, unchanged.
Not so with a book, however. A book requires your whole attention and therefore captures your whole being as a result. To read a great book is to abandon living for a moment. No longer can you go about your daily routine. You are trapped by the images it evokes. Meals go unprepared & uneaten, sleep is no longer a necessity. You cannot leave it to use the restroom, so it come with you and, should you have been foolish to start on a day when you had to be somewhere, well . . . you will most likely be late. A good book makes you tardy to work, keeps you holed up in your office during breaks and leaves you daydreaming in the office. It even keeps you from driving home after work; so intent is your devotion that you sit in the car to finish it. For however long it takes, that book and your life are the same. You feel the characters' pain, you laugh in their joy and drown in their sorrow.
Then, the inevitable comes. You finish the book. You set it down and slowly come back to reality. You look around, slowly realizing that you are no longer in 1950s New York, or 16th century Europe, or wherever else the book may have taken you. You are here, in your house (or at work, or sitting in your car) and you are a person with a life independent of the book. You have events to attend, responsibilities to be taken care of, friends and family to connect with. You know this. And yet, for a few moments, you can't leave the book behind. You may try to capture the feeling by re-reading a favorite passage but it is not the same. So you set the book aside and wander aimlessly, trying to collect your thoughts, trying to re-enter the world in which you live. "The kitchen should be cleaned," you may think, "but what are mundane chores compared to the suffering I have just experienced?" Or, "I should really call my friend back . . . but how can she share in this inexpressable joy?" Slowly, slowly, your senses return and you move on, realizing that part of you has been left with the book, but part of it has come with you. Life returns to normal, tasks are completed and you are once again your own self . . . until the sweet seductive song of another book ensares you.
That is why it is easier to watch TV than read a book. Yes, much easier to remain a neutral observer than an impassioned participant. But oh, how less satisfying . . .

1/26/2006

I'm beat.

This has been a long week, and it's not even close to over. I've been working like crazy trying to finish up something that's due by Monday. Plus performing a HAZOP review. Plus planning a shutdown on one of my units. Plus reacting to an unexpected occurrence at my other unit. I was so tired last night I almost fell asleep driving home. Now I've got to work twelves tomorrow, and probably a decent portion of Saturday and Sunday. I think I'm going to keel over . . .

In happier news for me (although not so much for my pocketbook), I succumbed to the cardinal sin: I went to Joann's for their store closing sale. They are moving to a new location and are trying to get rid of all their inventory before they do. Consequently, everything was 50-70% off already reduced prices. So, in a moment of weakness, I proved that I am my mother's child: I bought a significant number of needlepoint kits (we won't say how many). I've already started two! Which is really sad, considering I have two that I'm already working on. Oops! :)

In the "It'll be a new experience" category comes a very odd tale, at least for me. My production spec (of "why paw" fame) is going to try to set me up with his sister's nephew by marriage. He's moving back to Texas after having lived in Colorado (yay!) ever since he was a small child. He even went to CSU. If for no other reason than that we can chat about good ol' FC, I'm excited to meet him. Don was going to try to call him tonight to a) ascertain that he is still single and b) see if he'd like to meet me. How weird is that? I've never been set up before, but hey, "it'll be a new experience." :) Keep tuned for updates!

Have a wonderful day!

1/22/2006

Short post, 'cause I'm really tired, but I just wanted to say that I had a wonderful weekend. I think that many of you know that I've had a somewhat difficult time making the transition down here, especially in the friendship arena. That's been really hard, because I'm such a people-person and a people-person without friends is a rather sad person . . . Anyway, short story is that I ended up spending most of the weekend with people from Lit, my Sunday night church group. I served some at a halfway house, went and saw End of the Spear (great movie, go see it), visited a church (great church, I'm really excited to go back), and helped lead worship at Lit tonight. All in all, a great time, especially because I feel so much more comfortable with everyone. In other words, this weekend has been such an amazing answer to prayer and I've got to thank God for it!

The only fly in the ointment was the rather sad performance of the Denver Broncos. I have to admit they were rather pitiful. I can't even think of anything to say it was so sad. But I'm still going to wear my Broncos orange tomorrow. I am not a fair-weather fan!! It was fun to go watch the game, though, as my bible-study leader agreed to go watch it with me at Buffalo Wild Wings. I was afraid that she was just coming because I asked her and she wouldn't enjoy herself, but she ended up be a pretty big football buff and we had a great time (fellowship-wise, not sports-wise, of course :( ). Here's a picture of Melanie and me and the restaurant:

Anyway, that's about all. Sorry it's such a short, not funny post. I promise I'll be more interesting next time! ;)

1/16/2006

In regards to my 1/13/2006 post . . . I just talked to my grandparents, and they informed me that "lungs" is often a euphemism for, well, what guys would probably be looking at were I not so, um, less than abundant. Wow, I definitely didn't know that and while it is rather hilarious and I can't say I wouldn't have put it in had I known, I must admit that it was a totally unintentional play on words . . . (very red face) . . . I think I'll say good night now . . .

1/15/2006

Yay! The AFC championships are in Denver!! :)

In other news, I knew there was something else I was going to write about in my random thoughts posting, and I just remembered it as I was driving home yesterday (from work, but that's another story . . . I try to keep this blog upbeat! ;)

There are electronic signs along both the highways I drive to go to work, and for the past few weeks they have been blinking the message "Statewide Fire Danger" . . . "Burn Bans Enforced." But just this past week, the message has changed. Now it says

Arson/Burn Ban
Violations Call
1-877-xxx-xxx

Arson violations? Are there any times when arson is appropriate? I guess it just sort of struck me as a little funny . . .

1/14/2006

Woohoo!!! Two more to go!! :)

1/13/2006

Random thoughts from Naomi . . .

I think I have figured out why so many older men are interested in me. Yesterday morning I had a physical done so I can join the rescue team at work. One of the tests they ran was a pulmonary function test, using a spirometer (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/1142.htm). Basically, it's a tube that you have to seal your lips over and then blow as hard as you can. Based on your age and race, the machine gives you a reading on your lung capacity and ability to blow and compares it to what it should be. I was in the 107th percentile for lung capacity, but only in the 87th percentile for blowing ability (insert whatever jokes you feel appropriate here). The computer also calculates your "lung age." And what was my "lung age?" 30. So I guess all those guys must be attracted to my lungs . . .

I saw a pretty good ad on TV the other day (you can see it at www.dontmesswithtexas20.org, under the "On the Air" section. It's the one titled "Trash Toss"). It consisted of what I later figured out were famous Texans (I recognized four of the 13: Owen Wilson, Chuck Norris, Lance Armstrong and Matthew McConaughey) throwing a wadded up piece of paper to each other until it reaches McConaughey, who throws it away and says, "The real Texans don't litter." Unfortunately, I was drinking at the time, and almost spewed my beverage across the room. Cute ad, but incredibly incorrect. I have never before encountered the number of people who view the highway as their personal trashcan as I have here. Do you think I could sue them for false advertising? . . . ;)

Have a good day!

1/2/2006

Well, I think I'm approaching SE Texanship. No, I didn't leave a broken down car on the roadside! I was watching Jeopardy and knew all the answers to the "Houston" category. I even knew the hardest one, even though none of the contestants did. Here are the questions (as near as I can remember them) with their point value, so you too can see if you could pass as a SE Texan.

1. NASA's mission control center is located at their Houston space center named after this former U.S. President ($200).
2. The Spindletop discovery of this in 1901 led to big changes for Houston and the state of Texas ($400).
3. Two of the three teams that represent Houston in professional sports ($600).
4. The Houston international airport is named after this president, who himself hailed from Texas ($800).
5. This river was the site of General Houston's decisive victory over Santa Anna in the Texas Revolution ($1000).

In other news, I went out and spent a lot of money today. I figure if I am going to try to get healthy and lose weight I not only need to start exercising (which I am) but I also need to start eating real food. Along that line I went and bought a toaster oven, a tiny George Foreman grill, and lots of food. I didn't really get to enjoy any of it today, since I was too tired after going to work (yet again!) and carting all this stuff up to my apartment to make anything. I did have some of the hummus though. Yum! I also had some chocolate milk. You should be happy, Dad, I'm getting calcium. I'm really excited about all the food I did get, though. It'll be nice to have something besides chips and salsa for a change.

Also, I've started posting some of my pictures online. You can see them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/naomieott/ . I've put the link on my list of links to the right as well so you don't have to scroll through all the blogs to find the link when you want to look at them again. Of course, you could also add the link to your favorites. :) I'll try to note on my blog whenever I've added new material to the photo site. One thing to note, there is no difference between the photos on the main page and those in the sets on the left. I think it's a little nicer to look at them in the set, because I've arranged them chronologically there. Also, I'm not sure if you can take pictures from my sight and save them or print them for your own use, but if you can't and there are some you'd like, let me know and I can email them to you.

Well, that's about all, except for the trivia answers, with my own rating system for your Texas knowledge:

1. Who is Lyndon Baines Johnson? ($200)
2. What is oil? ($400)
3. What are the Houston Rockets, Houston Astros, and Houston Texans? ($600, $300 bonus if you knew all three)
4. Who is George H.W. Bush? ($800)
5. What is San Jacinto? ($1000, $1000 bonus if you knew, like I did, that it's not pronounced the Spanish way, but rather San (as in sand) Juh-sin-toe)

$0-200: foreigner
$201-600: alien (illegal or not)
$601-1000: Coloradoan (enough Texans have infiltrated your state that you've picked up some knowledge of the enemy ;)
$1001-2000: Trivia buff
$2001-4299: Texan
$4300: Died-in-the-wool, true-blue, SE Texan! (wait, what does that make me? . . . )

1/1/2006

Happy New Year! Too bad I had to go in to work last night because I had weekend duty. Bah humbug. Oh well, at least I came up with an 11th item for my top ten list of "you know you're a Southeast Texan when . . . "

11. You feel confidant leaving your broken down car on the roadside for days . . . weeks . . . months, since you know the police aren't going to do anything to it, and, unlike Louisiana, no one will torch it.

(SE Texans don't always have the nicest things to say about Louisiana).

12/30/2005

As many of you know, I wear fire retardant coveralls to work every day. While very convenient in the fact that I don’t have to decide what to wear nor bother with makeup, hair, etc., they have the side effect of often times feeling less than lovely. So, a while back, I decided that on the Fridays I have to work, I’ll dress up (normally meaning jeans, a nice shirt, and done hair). Fridays are an ideal time to not wear Nomex, because there are fewer people around and less chance of needing to go outside to the unit (which is why we wear the Nomex). With the hurricane, holidays, and other happenings, I haven’t been able to do this to regularly, but today I figured I could.

Last night, in preparation, I washed my clothing of choice and set my alarm for half an hour earlier. I normally get up at 5:45 am so I can leave by 6:00 am, but with a morning shower (as opposed to afternoon), doing my hair and makeup, and etc., I figured I’d need a little more time. When I woke up at a quarter after I jumped out of bed (instead of trying to steal a few more minutes) and started getting ready. Shower: check. Hair blown dry: check. Hair curled: check. Teeth brushed: check. Clothed: check. I was just getting ready to put on my makeup when I decided I’d better check the time. I had a feeling I was running a little late, which would limit the amount of makeup I’d have time to put on. Sure enough, it was a minute after. . . except, not a minute after 6:00 am like I expected. No, my bedroom clock read 1:01 am! I thought something had happened to it. I rushed to the living room to check the clock there. Same time. Finally I pulled out my cell phone, since it automatically updates. Sure enough it was just after 1:00 am. I must have woken up naturally at 12:15 am (only 2 hours after I went to bed) and still been so tired I somehow missed that a) the alarm hadn’t gone off, and b) the clock said 12 and not 5! I felt so stupid! To make matters worse, I didn’t know what to do. I just stood there for a few minutes trying to wrap my head around what had happen and figure out what to do next. Eventually I put on some clean jammies and went back to bad, but not to restful sleep. No, no, I had terrible dreams about being late to work because I was right and the clocks were wrong. Just as I was calling my supervisor to let him know I was going to be late, I turned to look at the time, and as I did I woke up and was looking at my clock: 2:40 am and it was still dark out, so I figured I wasn’t missing work. I finally fell back asleep, woke up at 5:45, got all pretty (minus the shower and hair, since that was already done) and sure enough, was late to work, though not the three hours I had dreamed.

The kicker? I ended up having to go outside anyway, with my Nomex pulled over my nice clothes. And since it was a pretty hot day, I was all sweaty when I came back inside. Too bad for looking pretty!!!

12/05/2005

For any of you who know my mother's "hah faws" (high falls) experience with southern accents (and even those who don't know), you may be interested in knowing that I have had a "hah faws" experience of my own.

I was out at the unit picking up some samples to take to the lab. I had gone over straight from the morning meeting and hadn't been able to get a little go cart, so I was driving my own car. As I was taking the samples out to the car, Don, my production specialist, told me I better protect my little car by taking some "why paws" to put underneath the sample basket.

"Why paws?!!" As in, why would paws protect my car? And what paws are we talking about anyway? No way I'm letting one of the many feral animals we have near my car! I was utterly confused and I'm sure it showed. "You know, why paws," Don repeated as he handed me a few of the heavy duty napkins we use in the refinery. When the confused look remained, he got out the box they had come in. "WypAlls" was written on the front.

"Oh, WIPE ALLS," I said, exaggerating the 'p' and 'l' sounds. "Yeah, why paws. Don't they teach ya'll to speak up there in Yankee country?" By this time, the rest of the operators were practically rolling on the floor in laughter and I had to stick up for CO. I pointed out that at least in CO, we learn how to spell. No wyp instead of wipe for us! At which point he ungraciously had to point out that "WypAlls" were made by a Denver company, which he backed up by pointing it out on the box to me.

"Well," I replied, "it's probably a company created by some of you Texans who are taking over our beautiful state!" So we diverged into discussing the relative merits of our respective states, the truck versus shoebox (as he calls my car) debate, and all other manners of friendly banter.

Gosh, it's hard work being an engineer! ;)

11/30/2005

As promised to a few of you, here's a link to John Hofmeister's (President of Shell Oil Company and U.S. Country Chair) testimony before a joint hearing of the Senate Energy Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee on November 9.

http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=us-en&FC2=/us-en/html/iwgen/news_and_library/press_releases/2005/zzz_lhn.html&FC3=/us-en/html/iwgen/news_and_library/press_releases/2005/senate_testimony.html
en/html/iwgen/news_and_library/press_releases/2005/zzz_lhn.html&FC3=/us-en/html/iwgen/news_and_library/press_releases/2005/senate_testimony.html

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and there's a link to a pdf file of the transcript.

I've talked to a couple of you about the nature of working in the oil business and how, even though we may be making record profits, it's not all a bed of roses. I could go on and on about my personal experiences (and am more than willing to, if you care to ask for more), but Hofmeister actually makes all the same points.

Anyway, on a lighter note, since I'm talking about work, here's a couple pictures of me as the "Diversity Defender." Don't ask!! ;)

11/28/2005

It's no fun being sick. It's even worse being sick at work. And having to miss a planned date with a friend to see a movie you've been waiting to see for a while. But the absolute worst is coming home to no one. No one to comfort you and wash your face, no one to give you those pity points, no one to make you laugh and bring you out of your funk. Bah humbug!

At least I'm watching Grand Prix Paris!

11/27/2005

The apartment is all decorated for Christmas. The tree is up, the tinsel is hung, and the ornaments are strategically arranged to prevent the tree from tipping over. I must say, it does look rather nice, even if I am the only one who will enjoy it. Maybe someone should come visit me ;).

The more exciting news, though, was Grand Prix France. Another two hours of figure skating with 3 more tomorrow. Oh, I can't wait until the Olympics!! :D :D :D

11/26/2005

Home again, home again, jiggity jig. That's where I am, after a wonderful Thanksgiving in Michigan and a rather bumpy ride home.

I flew out to Michigan Tuesday night and, after some confusion over the layout of the Detriot airport (they really should have better signs!!!), met up with my parents. We drove to Lansing the next day to spend Thanksgiving with my dad's family and Peter and Melissa, who were fortunately able to come as well.

It was great to see all my Michigan relatives again, after having not seen most of them since last Thanksgiving. My cousins are beginning to walk (Cassie, 2.5), drive (Ken, 15.5), and get ready to graduate (Ruthie, 17). It's so weird to see those last two growing up. Just as with my cousins on my mom's side, I still envision them as my (much) younger relatives, and to see them about to leave high school makes me feel old. Of course, I imagine some of you may be laughing about a 21-year-old feeling old (and I must admit I'm nowhere near as old as some of you! ;), but knowing that kids I babysat are now old enough to babysit others is a little sobering. It makes me feel like I should be, you know, adultish. Oh, perish the thought!

Anyway, we also celebrated my grandfather's 80th birthday (one of those who is far older than me), and I, the slacker I am, had nothing. I didn't have anything for our Christmas celeration either. Can I still blame it on the hurricane? Probably not, but here's wishing you a happy 80th, Grandpa, a Merry Christmas to all my Michigan relatives, and a promise that maybe I'll send something in the mail . . .

Well, I better go work on getting my Christmas decorations up, because if I don't do them now, I never will. It's just hard to work up the motivation to do something no one else will probably see (cue the violin music . . . :)

Adios!

11/18/2005

Why do guys have the best clothes? I went to Kohl's grand opening today to use a $10 gift card I had received in the mail (from them) to purchase a gift for a friend. The item I picked out was less the $10, so I was looking at the women's clothes and was immediately drawn to some striped button-down shirts. I am a sucker for striped anything, especially button-down shirts. Don't ask me why, I just am. Unfortunately (well, fortunately for my wallet) neither of the 2 styles they had fit me well. But why did they only have two styles?! The guys' section was loaded with shirts I absolutely loved. I was tempted to try them on, but knew they would give an even worse fit. *Sigh.* It's a sad world. So I bought myself some luxurious, oversized towels to assuage my grief. :)

11/15/2005

One blood donation does not a veteran make. That was my lesson of the day. Last summer I gave blood while in CA with no problem. I was able to leave almost immediately after with no blackouts, queasy stomach or other difficulties. Hence, the formation in my mind of the idea that giving blood is no big deal. So today I go to give blood for the first time since then (after a year's hiatus due to an ear piercing). There was no problem giving the blood; I sat for the required time after the needle had been taken out, stood up and felt fine. So I left. Halfway back to my office, I had to sit down in the lawn so I didn't black out. After about five minutes I forced myself up the stairs and into my office where I promptly shut my door, dropped everything I was carrying and collapsed on the floor. I was sure I was going to throw up, pass out, and then die. Well, maybe not the dying part, but definitely the other two! Fortunately, after 30 minutes on the floor, I was able to sit up and eat lunch and then napped for another 30 minutes. I was worn out for the rest of the day and nearly blacked out again when I climbed the stairs into my apartment. Needless to say, I will rest for a while before leaving the donation site next time!

Find a site where you can give blood too at http://www.americasblood.org/.

11/14/2005

I broke down and bought a TV. I'm such a wimp. It really does get lonely, though, without a roommate. The purchase (and cable) paid off yesterday and today, though. Three words: Cup of China. Woohoo!! I can't wait for the Olympics!

On a sadder note, I just talked to my brother for what will probably be the last time for a year. His deployment date got moved up a day and he shipped out today as opposed to tomorrow. I'm glad my parents told me last night or I might not have called him in time. We didn't really talk about too much. Just how the rest of his leave had been and if he'd gotten everything together. Nothing serious. But after I said goodbye, I shed a few (or maybe more) tears. In some ways, I think this deployment is worst than the first one, at least in my mind. I don't know why. Maybe because the situation is so less clearly defined or maybe because I don't have the distraction of school. Whatever the reason, I'm praying even harder for his safety. Please do the same.

I love you, Michael!

11/12/2005

Well, I am officially an enginerd. Not that I wasn't one already, but I've cemented that fact with the people down here as well. They know me well enough that when a few of them were looking for a fifth player to round out their Axis and Allies group, I was called upon because I "think like them." They're all engineers, so there you go. I have just spent the last 5.5 hours playing Axis and Allies. I am happy to say that the Allies won, with the U.S. (me!) taking the finally victory city (Rome). The poor Axis hadn't a chance. As Japan (Kyle) said, it's intimidating to have history siding against you. Ah, victory is so sweet! :)

11/8/2005

Well, I'm back in Beaumont, TX, after a long weekend home. The time with my family was great, expecially since this will be the last time I see Michael for a long time. Peter was also able to make it back, and I know my mom enjoyed looking down the pew on Sunday and seeing all of our bouncing legs!

The most exciting part of the trip was actually the flight out, or rather, attempting to catch the flight out. You know how tickets say that you have to be to the gate 15 minutes early or you'll lose your spot? Completely untrue! I proved that you can get to the gate 15 seconds before closing and still get on! Although, I must say, it's not an experience I'd like to repeat. I guess I'll leave a few minutes earlier next time (Just kidding, Dad! I'll leave at least, oh, half an hour earlier!). Oh, and here's my public recognition to God for letting me catch my flight. On Tuesday (11/1) at Bible study we were discussing how often we forget to thank God for what He's done, especially the quick "help me" prayers. Well, I definitely offered a few of those on my mad drive to the airport, so thank you, Lord!

Aside from seeing my family, the best part of this weekend was catching up with some friends that I hadn't seen since high school. Christi and Megan and I were great friends in youth group and on the missions trip to Bolivia, so it was great to find out what they are up to. We're basically the same as when we last met, single and with no prospects of that changing, but with one important difference: none of us really cared. It's amazing how far I've come in the past few months in regards to my romantic desires, and to see how all of my friends are at the same point too. Who knows, I may be an old maid yet . . . ;)

Good night!

11/3/2005

Seven more hours! In 7 more hours, I will be leaving my apartment and heading for home. I'm so excited to see CO. I was looking at the forecast and it's weird to think about bringing wintery clothes. I'm still wearing short sleeves here, so it'll be nice to cool off for a little bit.

I went and voted today. The Texas election isn't until Tuesday, but since I'll be in CO, I went in early. It was so weird how you could see the difference in wealth between this county and those I've voted in in CO. When I went to early vote for the presidential race last year, it was this huge setup with electronic balloting and everything. Here? Punch cards. Don't worry, I checked for hanging chads! What I found even more amazing, though, was how few people, at least at my plant, realized there was an election going on, even though there are some pretty big issues on the ballot. Namely, Prop. 2 to add an amendment to the state constitution to ban gay marriages, but there are 8 other possible amendments up for ratification as well. I guess I can give them the benefit of the the doubt in being distracted because of Rita, but still . . . . ! I went around telling everyone they should take their civic responsibility and go vote. Somehow, though, I got the feeling that no one was going to. They better not be complaining when something they disagree with becomes law!

Tonight I had the guys from work over for homemade pizza. Really, I needed motivation to clean my apartment now that Kristin has moved out. I actually got my wall hanging up AND covered my couch! I feel so productive. Now that I have my living room the way I want it, I just need to work on my bedroom. Somehow, I think that is going to be a much bigger deal.

Well, I had better hit the sack. 5:00 is going to come mighty early!

A bientot!

10/31/2005

So I'm off of nights, finally. Woohoo! Much as I loved working with the operators and getting to see how the down-and-dirty operations of my units work, I'll be glad to get back to a regular schedule. 7-12s (day-hours) have really been getting to me. I'm really happy I worked them, though, 'cause I've gotten to know the operators better and will feel a lot more comfortable going out to the unit more often.

Today has been a day of catching up with people. I was planning on going to friend's house to help her take her baby trick-or-treating (basically, I wanted a baby fix), but a real bad storm prevented that. I was kind of down, since I'm roommateless now and and had no one to talk to, but I ended up talking via phone or IM to half-a-dozen people. I guess God knew I needed a little cheering up!

Well, I must be heading to bed, even though I am far from tired. Today was my switch day, so I need to sleep now, even though I didn't get up until 1:30 this afternoon. I'll leave with a picture I just got developed (finally) from my trip to Europe. That's me and my best friend, Beca, in front of the Colosseum.


Ciao!

Follower

Well, it looks like I'm hopping on the bandwagon. Man, I hate to be following in my brothers' footsteps! In my defense, I've thought of starting a blog for a while, and even signed up for a couple other places, but managed to forget my login info before I did anything with them. Anyway, no promises on frequency of updates (and I doubt I'll ever post like Peter), but here goes!

10/14/2004

Lord, thank you so much for such a wonderful day! My McBride paper is turned in, I got an A in Kinetics and the transport test was a breeze. My heart is so light having all these things completed and I thank you for allowing me such a night. But, Lord, let this not be a happiness dependent on test grades and finished projects, bu let me find my joy in you. Oh Lord, you know how easily I am swayed by the actions of this temporal world, but give me your joy that I may always be a wellspring of life from you for other people. I thank you that you have blessed my with a cheery disposition and please show me how I can use it to bless others & serve your kingdom.

I thank you for the lesson on Jonathon's covenant with David. What an amazing example, to love someone as oneself. He proves that it is possible for a human to follow Christ's example. And thank you so much for being that example and for giving us a hope beyond this nasty, brutish, and short life. I want to lift Christine up right now and I ask for you to soften her heart and bring her to you. How ironic that her name is a derivative of yours and she doesn't really seem to know you. Give me the boldness to share you with her.

In reading about Jonathon's love for David, I am reminded of the passage that discusses their souls being knit together and how Kristin and I joked about our souls beings similarly knit together. But it's not just a joke. I know you provided her for me to help me with my transition to CA. I don't know if I have ever truly thanked you for that. So, thank you, Lord, for your awesome provision of a "kindred spirit" way out in CA. And Lord, if it be your will, please arrange it such that she can come out & visit this Christmas!

Finally, I come before & humbly admit my own disorganized life. Just about every comment Gordon MacDonald made in his book applies to my life. I must be the poster child for disorganization! But I thank you that you have a plan for my life despite my disorganization and I pray that you will help me and give me the courage to order my private world.

Thursday 8/22/2002

Today was a super easy day. All I had was a physics lab at 2:00, because my NHV lecture was cancelled. So I lazed around pretty much all day!! I did finish up my chemistry and I also read an article for NHV, so I'm all caught up on homework, which is a nice feeling. I got a hold of Aunt Cindy and she has a ticket for me for Women of Faith this weekend. I'm really excited to be going, but I wish Mom could be there too. I called Grandma & Grandpa Ott, just to let them know how I was doing and it was nice talking to them. For FCA tonight, we did a scavenger hunt around campus to find clues to solve this mystery.

Tuesday 8/20/2002

Today, I am going to start a study in Romans.
Romans 1:1-6
What an amazing testimony to who Jesus is! In these 6 verses, Paul has outlined all the salient points. He is David's heir as well as God's son, which we know by his death & resurrection. He is the fulfillment of all the OT prophecies. It is for and by Him that we have received grace & share it w/ others. In other words, Christ is the reason we have hope for living, and we need to share that hope w/ others.
Lord, thank you for the awesome work you did yesterday, showing me all those great people on campus. As I start my first day of college classes, please help me be a light for you. Show me the opportunities where I can let you shine through.

Today was the first day of class, but all I had was Nature & Human Values. My other two classes were labs, so they were both cancelled since we hadn't had lecture yet. Since I had such a lot of extra time, I walked down to the Golden Public Library and checked out some books. It only took about 10 minutes to get down there, but coming back was all up hill and man! was it a trek! I think I hurt one of the toes on my left foot, because they sure hurt. I don't know how often I'll be making that trip to the library. I went to dinner w/ my suitemate Jessica. She's a nice girl, and I think I'll get along w/ her best of all. She brought a car and she lives in Ault, so maybe she'll be willing to take me home on some weekends. I then went to the FCA game night and had a ton of fun playing Scattergories, Guesstures, & Big Booty! I'm sure Elsbeth will be happy to hear that!

Monday 8/19/02

Morning
Matthew 18:1-9
-Little children are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven
-Woe to him causes others to sin
-Cut off your hand if it causes you to sin
This passage seems to echo what the sermon was about yesterday. "Better for you to enter life maimed or crippled (or ashamed) than to have two hands or two feet (and your secret safe) than to be thrown into eternal fir." I think the Lord is trying to tell me something. The past few days, as I've tried to become friends w/ my suitemates, I've just gone along w/ their joking and swearing. I don't want to become a self-righteous nut, but neither should I allow myself to be pulled into their lifestyle. Lord, help me to be a light to these people, because it's obvious they need you. Lord, help me to stay strong even when I desperately want to fit in. Finally, Lord, I ask you to send me a strong Christian friend who shares my belief in you. I'm feeling in desperate need of encouragement here!!

Evening
Thank you, Lord!! Today was awesome! I survived the M-Climb an managed to get most of the paint off me (the M doesn't look that much better, all the whitewash was on the students!!). I then had some time to go figure out my computer account, get my meningitis shot, figure out my calc credit & meet G. & G. Barr, who brought over some stuff I had left at their house, namely my glasses!! I sure missed those last night! I still don't have my schedule all figured out. By the time I got my Calc III credit figured out, the registrar had closed, but I figure I had better pick up a class, since I only have 13.5 credits now!! Consequently, I haven't bought my books yet. We also had freshman convocation, which is our formal induction ceremony into the school. I must admit I slept through most of it!! For dinner, all of us suitemates went over to Sigma Alpha Epsilon for dinner and I felt so uncomfortable. But here's the great part. After we ate dinner, we all left pretty quickly because most of the girls had to get to volleyball practice. I walked over to the FCA ice cream social, sure I was late, since it was 6:30 and everything I saw said that it started at 6:00. Well, when I got over there, there were only a few people standing around. I probably would have left, being too embarrassed to ask them if the knew anything, when I recognized a guy I had worked w/ up at a Young Life camp and who I knew was involved in FCA here at CSM. It turned out that the event didn't start until 7:00. So, I helped them set up and in the process met a bunch of cool people. It's amazing how much more comfortable I felt around the FCA people vs. those at the frat house. It is quite true that you can feel that common bond when you meet a Christian!! I don't know if I've met my "kindred spirit" quite yet, but I do know that the Lord has provided plenty of people for me to choose from. Thank you, Lord, you are so awesome. It is completely awe-inspiring how you brought all the circumstances together (me being early, knowing the one guy, etc.) so that could be encourage and meet other committed believers. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord!! No words can describe my love and respect for you!!

Sunday 8/18/2002

Well, Beca, you gave me this journal so I'll try to use it, even though I'm terrible at journalling. This weekend has been rather stressful. On Friday, Mom & Dad drove me down here to CSM to move in. Patty was at practice so I didn't get to meet her, but I got to check out our room. It's nicer than the one we saw at Explore CSM, but it's still pretty small. Everything fits though, but I'll have to be sure to keep it tidy, otherwise stuff won't fit. We then went to Grandma & Grandpa Barr's to eat dinner and stay the night. Grandma Margaret came up for the evening so I got to spend some quality time talking to her. Saturday morning, Mom & I went shopping for school supplies (at a pretty dismal Super Target, I must say) and then went with Dad over to my dorm room. Patty was there so we went down to Clear Creek and found some rocks we hope are 10 lbs for the M-Climb on Monday. We then took Patty to lunch at the Q-doba in Denver West (hmm, I love the poblano pesto chicken wrap), after which we dropped her off at the dorm room and then we went back to G. & G. Barr's. The Sorrel's were up so we played Phase 10 until dinner. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, especially Westin. Then things got tense as I found out Mom & Dad weren't going to stay after dinner to finish the game. I went off to my room crying and Mom went to her room, upset as well. I don't think either of us is really prepared to be apart. Well, Mom & Dad eventually came & talked to me and then left. I must say, I was a wreck! I decided to watch Harry Potter after they left so I would be so completely tired I would fall right to sleep. Well, I did, but I had some terrible dreams. I woke up halfway through the night in a panic. Needless to say, it wasn't a very restful night! Well, we (me & G. & G. Barr) went to church this morning and then they took me out to lunch at the Imperial Gardens, a very nice Asian restaurant. Ymm, I have to enjoy these last few good meals. =) They brought me back here, changed our refrigerator door, and left. Orientation started at 2:30 and now I have my schedule, but I still have to figure out the Calc III credit. I met a lot of people, but no one who I felt I really connected with. I'm hoping that at the FCA Ice Cream social tomorrow night, I'll meet a strong Christian girl. None of my sweetmates are what I would call kindred spirits, unfortunately. They're all nice girls, but I haven't clicked with any of them. Me, being the friend lover that I am, well, I'm pretty depressed right now. There, I said it. I hate admitting that I'm sad and upset, but I am!! I'm just praying that the Lord has picked out a special friend for me. I know He knows what He's doing, but right now, that doesn't seem to help!!

Wednesday 8/21/2002

Romans 1:7-17
I really like verse 12, where Paul says he want to come to Rome to impart a spiritual gift on the believers - "that is, that you & I may be mutually encouraged by each others' faith." Think of it, here the Romans probably feel that Paul is something of a demigod, a paragon, but he is saying that they will each grow & encouraged by the others' faith. How much just reading that must have encouraged the Romans, to know that their faith is just as important, just as Godly, as Paul's.
Of course, verse 16 is famous - "I am not ashamed of the gospel", but I really like verse 17, where it quotes Habbakuk 2:4 "The righteous will live by faith." Lord, I don't need to be some sort of paragon to live righteously. As your child I can live by faith & I will then be righteous through you. Help me do that all important action of letting you take control and just living by faith.

I had P.A. (physical activity) this morning. It was basically just all the info, and then we were able to go. Then I had physics, which was, once again, basically just info & then we took an assessment test. After that I was free until 1:00, because the NHV recitation was cancelled all this week. I took that opportunity to get some reading (of my library books done). Chemistry was at 1:00, but our professor is out of town, so a TA just came in , handed out a syllabus, took attendance and let us leave. Economics was at 2:00, and guess who was in my class?!! Jill, from FCA. She's a senior, but apparently she's just never taken principles. She introduced me to Margo, a transfer junior who I found out is my chemistry class. I think the economics class will be pretty easy, although the class is huge! The entire time the professor was talking, I kept thinking about how this is what Dad used to do. She's more of an engineer, though, than he is. =) I didn't go to FCA tonight, because they were going to be playing sports out on the IM field and I figured that w/ a bleeding toe, that probably wouldn't be the best idea. I did get a lot of chemistry done, so that was good.

3/3/01

Well, today has been a fruitful day. I cleaned and reorganized my room in preparation for my new full-sized bed. I still need to move some of my wall decorations around, but, quite frankly, that can wait for another day. In about 1/2 an hour, I'm headed to Megan Chaussee's for an after SAT party, even though I'm not taking my SAT until June. I'm looking forward to spending time with my friends, although they'll probably be wiped out from taking the test. Oh well, I'm sure we'll still manage to have fun somehow! =)

4/10/1998

Today I had my birthday part. 11 people came although I had invited 16. Kari, Beca, Amanda N., Amanda C., Sarajean, Mara, Cynthia, Holly & Beth all came at 10:00. We then packed lunches and went bike riding on the Poudre trail. Near where Spring Creek trail meets the Poudre trail, we stopped and ate lunch. Lunch was an interesting experience since I had forgotten to pack plates & napkins. We "survived" though & stayed there for about 2 hours just sitting, talking, wading, rescuing Amanda Corbyn's helmet from the river, & walking across the river on the railing of the bridge since the bottom wasn't there anymore. Then we came home at about 2:45 and played Mafia (Megan B. joined us then) until 3:50 when we left for Grease. Bri joined us at the theater and we had a fun time lip sinking with the songs. We came home, ate dinner, and opened presents. I got lots of cool things including this journal and pen, colored mascara (blue & purple), necklaces, a What Would Jesus Do ring, and lots of bath stuff. Everybody left at 8:00. I'm so tired now but I figured I'd better write down what happened before I forgot.
Naomi Ott

7/5/1997

For the 4th of July we had 2 people over to our house for dinner. They were from Daddy's work. After they left we went over to the Wright's (Gary & Virginia) & followed them up to Estes. We shot fireworks over the lake & then watched the professional show. It was fun but we didn't get pack until almost midnight. Today I went over & helped clean up City Park. I went around with A_____ C______. She's okay, it's just that she talks so much & it's almost like she wants the limelight. I still can't believe all these people are in 7th grade & I'm (and all the other people in my grade) are 8th grader. My brothers are seniors! Scary! Their going to be 17 soon.

6/14/1997

- Scouts Own:
We told our favorite thing we did this weekend & we read a positive thing we did off our card. We sang 3 songs: Together, Rose, & One Tin Soldier. We also played Jamawackey

Jan 2 1997

Hi! I had a very good Christmas. I got the slacks I wanted as well as a few other clothes items. I also got a Creative Memories album & some jewelry. I have already done 2 pages(front & back) in my album. On Monday the 30th I had a little party at my house with Rebeca M., Amanda N. and Bri. I had invited Megen B. and Amanda C but they couldn't come. =( We had a fun time & Bri spent the night. Today Mrs. Gustafson called and asked if I could play with Reiden. We play Backgammon, Memory & Taboo. I stayed for almost 3 hours!
N.E.O.

Dec. 23, 1996

Hey! Today our family did our annual Christmas caroling with the other families in our group. (Morses, Wrights, Rhoads & Cranes). After caroling we met at the Rhodes's house and had a potluck dinner and exchanging of gifts. I got a music poster and $9 dollars. I figure that I am now 14 dollars in debt. Considering that Dad owes me 7 dollars I am only 7 dollars in debt! Hallelujah! It appears that I'll be able to pay off my debt & pay for the clarinet. It's a miracle!

Naomi E Ott

Dec. 9th 1996

Hi. It's me again after what seems a decade later. In the last week of August I started what is to be my first full year of public school. So far I have averaged at a 4.0. My mom says that I have the teachers wrapped around my little finger. Maybe I do. There are only 9 more school days until Christmas Break. I can't wait! 2 weeks of! It'll be great. I'll write again soon.

Naomi

May 24th

Today we came down to G&G Barr's in Denver. Tomorrow we celebrate Westin's birthday.
N.E.O.

May 23

Schools out Yah Yah Yah (can't you just hear the sarcastic ring). Who cares if schools is out if it's raining cat's and dogs. Bri went to an after school party. They were playing with water ballons when the downpour hit them. Bri was freezing. She also told me that there is a tornado watch out. I doubt it will live long.

May 21

Nothing much happened today. The Brothers & Dad went to Shane Sanker Eagle Ceremony.

Saturday, April 20, 1996

We won the game! 21-10! The other team had all their players yet we (with only 6 players) won the game. Coach Simecka says I did very good today. I am so happy. I also brought drinks today. After the game we went to the yard sale at FBC. We bought a bike for me, a desk for Peter and a Radio for Dad, plus food. Really a fun day. Last night our troop went on a night hike at ELS. Very fun. got a shirt there - it was free.

Love,
Naomi

Wednesday, April 17, 1996

Only 6 player this Saturday!
Today at girl Scouts we decided on a song and game to teach the Brownies. We choose the Human Knot and a song I've never even heard of before. We also decided on what to do at the mother/daughter tea on May 11th. I was part of the menu committee. Also, even after that and going to the YMCA at Estes Park we still have $675.00 to blow. We have decided to get manicures and pitchures and give them to our moms. Still, that only takes $64, so we still have over $600. We have no idea what we want to do with it. Some of may be spent on Bridging costs. The Bridging ceremony may be at CSU! (the same place we will hold the mother/daughter tea) It is outside but if we like it we'll use it. One place we definitely won't hold it is at the Tavelli Gym. Ugh!

Love,
Naomi

Sunday, April 14, 1996

Dear Diary,
Today was the City in Harvest Sunday. 26 churches (I think that the right number, either that or 29) participated. Pastor Larry speaked as did Dary Northorp of First Assembly of God and Rick Olmstead of Vineyard (I think). At night church we talked about what had happened to us the past few weeks. Everybody was razzing Jack Hill because he fell down in the cantata.

Love,
Naomi

Saturday, April 13, 1996

Dear Diary,
We won! By one point. The 1st half we were way ahead of them. Then in the 2nd half they came back and were winning. But Kari sunk a 3-pointer and that clinched the game for us. It was an exciting game for sure Dad showed me a few things that I think will help with my next basketball game. Only 2 more left.

Love,
Naomi
Don't you just love my signature

Friday, April 12, 1996

Dear Diary,
Today I didn't do much. Just school and I started on a new puzzle. Tomorrow is a basketball game at 11:00! I don't know who it is against. I hope we win like we did last time. It was something like 17 to 31 our favor! I also have a night hike with me GS troop. Tell you all tomorrow.

Love,
Naomi

7/25/1993

Hello again, I know I haven't written since May 25, 1993. It is still 1993. Today was Sunday. We toke home two Chenaniah singers. Mom says that's all I can write.

by-by,
Naomi E. Ott

5/25/1993

I was not able to write yesterday because we got home we had to go straight to bed! Today I am packing for the move. Where am I moving, China? Almost it's Japan! No actually I moving to another house!

By-By
Naomi E. Ott

5/23/1993

Today was Sunday as you must know. I went to church this morning. Mom had siad that we might go tonight but then she said she didn't want here all the noise, still it was a nice day.

By-By
Naomi E. Ott

5/22/1993

Today I went down to my Grandparents . . . . and back! Am I tired! Westian had his birthday. Michael and Daddy started on a canoe trip. We have been tring to rent the house for a couple o days now. This is my new signature in a smaller form.

Naomi E. Ott

By-By,
Naomi E. Ott

5/21/1993

Today I went to Dad's ball game. He hit the ball to the outfield. Wowee!

By-By,
Naomi E. Ott

5/20/1993

Today I help deliver newspapers. I delivered 136 papers! Wowee! That's all.

By-By,
Naomi E. Ott

5/19/1993

Today I went to a day camp and to pioneers, that's all. Pretty exciting day. I don't have much to tell you so ....................

By-By,
Naomi E. Ott

5/17/1993

Here again am I. Okay I would like to tell you how Mom must feel. She has been running around all days to get all of us everywhere. So as you must imagine, she is stressed out! All I was go to Brownies. Oh and I went to B.I. Cleaning and let me tell you never ever listen to fox on the radio.

Alho,
Naomi E. Ott

5/16/1993

Still wrighting "right"! Pun here. What have you been doing? What did you say? Oh you want to know about me, eh? Well, what any christian person would do on Sunday, that's the day by the way, go to church and then go on doing what you would do any other day, that's all. Pretty exciting learning about Christ.

Have a nice week.
By-By,
Naomi E. Ott

5/15/1993

Hello, I know I haven't been keeping up but wrighting isn't my favorite thing. Today I and the rest of the family cleaned up their rooms. I got all of mine cleaned up and sweeped.

By-By
Naomi E. Ott

3/12/1993

Today we went down to Grandma and Grandpa's house. They have graduated from clown college. They already have two lined up maybe three. That was all.

Nice seeing you,
Naomi E Ott

3/11/1993

Today I went to my ice skating class. I've been moved to Basic 2 but I may move up to Basic 3! Wow! Next week is spring break and in that time just Sarah Jean is comming over for my birthday and is going to spend the night.

Goodbye,
Naomi E. Ott

3/10/1993

Today I went to Pioneers Club and we have started makeing baskets there with buckets and we are covering them with pieces of cloth. Mine is over halfway done. Thats all.

By-by,
Naomi E. Ott

3/9/1993

Sorry you haven't heard from me but it was a busy weekend. Today was another boring day 'cept Daddy came home and we were in bed at that time so . . .

Goodbye,
Naomi E. Ott

3/6/1993

Today was a boring day so I don't have much to say. I read practily all day. Dad left for Kansas City and won't be back till late Tuesday night. Tomorrow I think I will read a good chapter in Anne's House of Dreams.

By-by,
Naomi E Ott

3/5/1993

Dear "Diary,"
Today I cleaned the rest of my room. Boy was Mom glad and so am I. My birthday is week from the 8th or 9, I'm not sure. It'd on the 15th. I don't know when my friend is comming over. I think her whole family should come over on my birthday and Sarah Jean (that's my friend's name) should stay over night. That would be fun.

from
Naomi E. Ott

P.S. The brothers are snoops!

3/4/1993

Here I am back from Jan. 2. How do you like my cursive handwriting? Today I cleaned half of my once messy room! Now all I have to is cone strip and under my bed. I'm cleaning it cause my new friend is coming over. By the way, your probably wondering how I can clean my own room> Well, we moved and I now have my own room!

From
Naomi

1/2/1993

Today the brothers came home. Well forget about that.

1/1/1993

Today was New Years day. Last night I stayed up till midnigt to say happy new years and I wasent event tired! Today I almost killed Dad because he watched football during one of my favorite shows. I said "I'll never forget this day!" And I won't because later he said that I could watch a show 30 mn because there was 30 mn before the next football game was on. And the ice skating show was an hour long and 30 mn dad said I could watch the rest of the show.

Thanks dad!

September - December 1985

9/16/1985: Dentist Stephen 1:00
Doctor Naomi 8:30

10/4/1985: Today is a red letter day. Peter began to read! For the past couple of weeks we have been working on the sounds of b, d, f, g, a and on sliding ba, da, fa, and ga. Today I had him write B A D and asked him what it said. When he realized that he actually read a word he just lit up. After that we tried all kinds of combinations and he was able to read them all!
10/24/1985: Dentist 9:15 M&P
10/31/1985: 9:15 Dr. Boswell Linda

11/18/1985: Pam Davis 7:00

12/5/1985: Sandra Danielly

August 1985

8/1/1985: We did not get to DisneyWorld till this afternoon. The boys enjoyed themselves but they didn’t much care for waiting in line. They got really upset when it began to rain and Dumbo was shut down just as we were getting to the front of the line. We did get to ride it later which made them happy. We were still there at 10:00 so we got to see the fireworks.
8/2/1985: Another day at DisneyWorld. The magic just doesn’t seem to be there as it is in DisneyLand. We have not seen a single character walking around and the boys are beginning to wonder where Mickey Mouse is.
8/3/1985: The first thing we did today was ride the gondolas. The boys had pestered us both yesterday and Thursday so we went right to it this morning. Later we went to the Grand Prix race cars and the boys loved it.
Naomi has been a real angel this whole time.
Tomorrow we will go to church and rest.
8/4/1985: We went to Mom & Dad’s church today. I have never seen a church so big. Even People’s Church in Fresno doesn’t compare. They have over 2000 people just for Sunday School! The pastor was on vacation so they had a musical program which wasn’t all that impressive.
8/5/1985: Today we went to Epcot. The boys were not very good. I think they are beginning to tire. Plus there aren’t s many rides at Epcot. There is a lot more wandering around and looking at displays.
8/6/1985: We went to Silver Springs today and rode the Glass Bottomed Boats. The boys were absolute terrors. In fact we had to leave without seeing everything because they were throwing such tantrums. We were going to Sea World tomorrow but that is out now.
8/7/1985: Today has been a rest day. The boys really needed it. They spent a large part of the day in the pool and had a ball. We bought the water wings and Michael is paddling all over the pool. Peter is still afraid to stray from the side though.
8/8/1985: The boys spent the day in the pool again. Peter made a real breakthrough and discovered he didn’t have to sty right by the ledge. He is now paddling all over the pool too.
8/9/1985: Naomi did not sleep well last night so of course I didn’t either. Consequently we didn’t leave until 9:00. Still we were home by 5:00. Apart from blinding rain on Florida’s Turnpike, the drive was uneventful. We are glad to be home.
8/11/1985: Today is Stephen’s birthday. We were very low key. I hadn’t baked a cake and had not had time to buy a present. About the only thing we did was sing Happy Birthday.
This evening while sitting on the front porch I saw something unusual on the ground. Upon investigation it turned out to be a snake skin. I am not thrilled.

July 1985

7/4/1985: Bud, Nancy, Doug and Diana spent the day with us. The weather stayed fairly nice for most of the day so the kids could swim and the adults played badminton. Later this afternoon it poured getting Buddy & Nancy’s car soaked – they had left the sun-roof open.
7/16/1985: Naomi 9:30
7/27/1985: To celebrate the boys birthday we took them to the Atlanta Zoo. I was not impressed with the zoo but the boys enjoyed it.
Right near where we parked was a fire dept. gathering with lots of engines. After we got through with the zoo the boys went for a close-up look at some of the trucks.
7/29/1985: The boys made me angry today. They had to go to the doctor for their yearly checkup. We had talked about how they would behave now that they were 5 and I had high hopes. The boys were the worst I had ever seen them. They are very healthy but the doctor says they lack attention.
Doctor Boys 9:30
7/31/1985: We got up bright and early this morning to go to Fla. We did not get off as early as we planned but by 7:00 we had dropped Stephen at his office for his trip to Chicago & Iowa and were on the road. First I couldn’t find 75. Then when I stopped for gas the car wouldn’t start and had to be jumped. But in spite of these problems we made it to Orlando by bout 2:30. The boys immediately want to go to Disney land.
Vacation for Mommy and the kids.

June 1985

6/1/1985: Stephen took Michael, Peter and Naomi to a park. Afterwards we went to see Ronald McDonald at the new McDonald’s in town. He was outside and it was sure hot. The boys enjoyed the balloons they got.
6/2/1985: Today it is very hot and they say the hot weather will continue.
6/6/1985: Naomi really started climbing today. First she climbed up into her high chair. Then she crawled up onto the kitchen table to get some candy that was there.
Peter broke the front window this morning while I was outside filling their pool. When I came in he told me all about “the robber who threw stones that broke the window but not the screen.”
6/7/1985: We went to the Beverley’s for dessert and games. We enjoyed ourselves and got home late. Naomi made a huge mess in her pants and on the floor.
6/8/1985: It’s finally cooler. After a week of 95°+ days we got some cooler weather. We hope it stays cooler for a while.
6/10/1985: Stephen left for Athens this morning. He won’t be back till dinner tomorrow.
Mom & Dad must have got my letter about the “robbers” that broke our window. They just had to call and remind me about the mouse in the jacket.
6/11/1985: Naomi’s 5th tooth came through today.
Today was the first day of story hours for the summer. What a zoo! I’ve never seen so many children there. All the kids who were out of school were there. I also signed them up for the summer reading program. They will get a certificate if they read (or have read to them) at least 10 books.
6/14/1985: Stephen’s team wins again.
6/17/1985: Today was the first day of Bible School. It really went very well. I know it shouldn’t surprise me but I was pretty uptight about it. Unfortunately Naomi has developed diarrhea this afternoon so I’ve had to tell Erma I won’t be there tomorrow.

May 1985

5/4/1985: Stephen, Michael and Peter went to the S.S. picnic at Jones’ farm. The boys wanted to go fishing.
5/11/1985: We all went to an Experiment Station picnic. We had steaks and Naomi enjoyed the strawberries. When we got home there was no water as the pumps have failed. The Donalds had some water and Stephen went & filled up some jugs.
5/12/1985: Got up this morning and still no water. We washed up the best we could and went to church. When we got home we had water and it felt good to get cleaned up.
5/13/1985: Dr. Boswell 10:00 Linda
5/14/1985: We didn’t figure the next time we would be without water would be so soon but today it was off for a few hours.
5/17/1985: Stephen’s softball team finally wins a game. After the game, Stephen and the boys go to McDonald’s for ice cream and get back late. Linda was worried to what happened to us.
5/25/1985: We all went to the church picnic at the Jones’ place. We had borrowed some fishing poles from the Pierce’s. At first the fish were not biting but after supper Peter caught two & Michael and Daddy caught one each. All three were excited. We surprised Mommy with them.
5/26/1985: Today was the Canterbury’s last Sunday. We were one of the last ones to leave the reception. Pam Davis taught our class. We didn’t realize how much we enjoyed teaching the boys and girls. We sure missed them.
Michael smashed his finger in the car door when he got out at church. For a moment he just stood there, then let out a blood-curdling scream. His finger appears to be OK but the nail is already black.
5/31/1985: We had the Raymer’s over from the agronomy dept. We had a cookout.

March - April 1985

3/15/1985: Grandma and Grandpa Barr arrived today. By the time we picked them up at the airport and went out for dinner Naomi was too tired and fussy for a party. We will have the cake and presents tomorrow.
3/16/1985: We had Naomi’s party today. She really enjoyed her cake but wasn’t really interested in her presents. I ended up opening them all.
3/17/1985: Mom and Dad left today. They will be back though with Grandma Margaret sometime after Easter.
3/23/1985: Grandma Ott and Aunt Sarah came today. They will be staying through Thursday. It was kind of a surprise as the just called to let us know last night they were coming. Sarah’s friend in N.C. isn’t there any more but they wanted to use the tickets anyway.
3/25/1985: Sarah and I took the boys to story hour and left Naomi with Grandma. Naomi does just fine with Grandma as long as I’m not around.
3/26/1985: I did a little bit of shopping today & took Sarah with me. This gave Mom Ott a chance to be alone with the kids. I think they all enjoyed it.
3/28/1985: We took Mom and Sarah to the airport today. Whew! After having them and my parents almost back-to-back, it will be nice to just be “us” again. We enjoyed the visits but are glad to get back to our routine.

4/7/1985: Stephen and I have taken over the 2 & 3 yr olds during church. This was our first Sunday. I think it went well and I feel that I’m really going to enjoy it.
4/19/1985: Naomi’s tooth finally came through today. I didn’t think it ever would.
4/22/1985: Dentist – Boys 1:00
4/25/1985: Dentist – Linda 9:15

February 1985

2/3/1985: Stephen left for his trip to Biloxi today. We got the boys ready for church, dropped them off and then I took Stephen to the office where everyone was meeting. Naomi is sick so I couldn’t go to church.
2/4/1985: We had a little bit of ice and snow tonight while I was at my decorating class tonight. It was the worst we have had although I still wouldn’t consider it bad. One of the women panicked and left early.
2/5/1985: We have had a busy day today.
2/7/1985: Bud P.M.
2/12/1985: We have had a busy day today. First we went to story hour. Then we went to the airport to see Grandpa Barr. He was supposed to have an hour’s lay-over but his plane was late so we only got to see him for about 10 min.
2/15/1985: Today was a tough day for Michael. We threw his blanket away. It had disintegrated into nothingness so we finally got rid of it. He was devastated. We offered him another blanket but he wouldn’t have anything to do with it.
2/23/1985: The boys were outside today helping Daddy carry leaves to his pile. When Peter was dumping out his bucket he fell and was covered with ants. We raced him into the shower and later gave him a baking soda bath. He seems a little better now. Michael was standing by Stephen as he was cleaning off Peter’s clothes and got a few bites too.
2/25/1985: I have stopped nursing Naomi. I have been planning to stop for a while so when I got up this morning before her I just got food ready for her. She didn’t like that at all. Afterwards, I just sat and held her and cried along with her. I didn’t realize it would be such an emotional experience for me.

January 1985

1/7/1985: Tonight was my first decorating class. The teacher spent most of the time telling us what we would be doing throughout the class. She ended up by showing us how to make the icing. I never thought there was so much involved but if you don’t get it just right, you won’t be able to make nice decorations.
1/9/1985: Naomi took her first steps tonight! Just one step each time but she was so excited about it that she kept standing back up to try again. We were pretty excited too. Naturally I had to call my folks. When I told them to guess what exciting news I had Cindy said “You’re pregnant.” If she’d been here, I would have bopped her.
1/15/1985: We went to the Atlanta Symphony tonight. It was fantastic. There is so little culture in this town, we have to take whatever we can get. Even Stephen enjoyed it.
1/17/1985: Michael has a bad cold. I took him to the doctor but as usual, I wasn’t terribly impressed. He barely looked at Michael then said he had the croup but he’d give him penicillin just in case.
1/20/1985: The weather has turned really cold today. The temperature in Atlanta was down to 4°. Naomi & I didn’t go to church because she has picked up Michael’s cold. They cut the morning service short because of the “inclement” weather and cancelled evening services. The boys got a chance to play in the snow (just a dusting) and had a ball.
This evening we had the Bracketts over for games and had a really nice time.
1/21/1985: The schools were closed today because of the cold weather so my cake decorating class was canceled. How disappointing.
1/22/1985: The boys went to their first story hour today. Debbie and Joceyln went with us. The boys seemed to enjoy it although they didn’t say much about till later this afternoon.
1/23/1985: I took Naomi to the doctor today. She is so hoarse that I can barely even hear her cry. Dr. Calvin examined her and I was no more impressed than with Dunaway. He said that usually hoarseness is from some kind of virus and gave her some medicine without even checking out what kind of virus she had or if she does indeed have one!
Stephen left for Baton Rouge.
1/24/1985: Stephen came home tonight. He wasn’t supposed to come home till tomorrow but the meetings got over early so he booked a flight home tonight. We were all very glad to see him.
1/25/1985: Naomi has another tooth through. It was totally unexpected. She was leaning her head back laughing and I just happened to see it pushing out of the top. Maybe that’s why she got the cold so bad.
1/30/1985: Naomi is sick again. She was well for 3 days but now she has a cold again. I hope it’s just another tooth coming through.
1/31/1985: The boys went down to Jocelyn’s house today. While they were there, Sarah Cannady came over. I was glad that I had to go get the boys so I could tactfully ask her to leave. I think she would have stayed all day otherwise.

December 1984

Car registration expires Dec 16
12/1/1984: I got out some of the Christmas decorations today and the boys about went berserk. They are so excited.
12/3/1984: The boys went to play with Jocelyn today and they fought most of the time about Christmas and whether it was Baby Jesus’ birthday. How I pray that our witness will be effective.
12/4/1984: Stephen called from the office and asked if we would like a tree for $5.00. the station was selling them. At first I was a bit leery but it turned out to be a lovely tree.
Tonight Debbie and I went to a holiday tasting party for Station women.
12/6/1984: We went to pick out our pictures tonight. They turned out fairly well. We just wish they had printed the picture of Naomi in the 5x7 size so we could have some wallets to send to relatives.
12/7/1984: Naomi had her 9 mo. check up today. She appears to be doing fine. She weight 16 lbs 15 oz and is 26½” long.
Stephen went to the doctor today. After waiting for 1½ hrs the doctor finally saw him and just asked him how was doing. I was furious. It could have been done over the phone. The only positive thing is that he will get the cast of the 21st.
12/8/1984: Our Sunday School class had a party tonight. We went to a restaurant and Stephen & I both had catfish for the first time. I enjoyed mine but Stephen wasn’t terribly impressed.
12/15/1984: We went to an open house at the Laughlin’s today. Since Reuben & Milly Beverly were scheduled at the same time we all went together. It was a good chance to get to know them a little better.
12/21/1984: Stephen got his cast off today but I don’t really think it was a good idea. His foot is still swollen and bruised. The doctor says it’s not healed yet. He has to come back in 2 weeks to have it x-rayed.
12/24/1984: The boys are really excited. They put out some candy for Santa and an apple for Rudolph.
12/25/1984: Michael woke up this morning with the flu. How disappointing. He laid on the floor to open his gifts. He wasn’t too excited about the whole thing.
Peter, on the other hand, was quite exuberant. We made the boys take turns opening gifts and he could hardly wait each time.
12/26/1984: We left for Michigan today. We got a late start because we weren’t sure if Michael would be able to travel. We only made it to Williamsburg, KY which is just inside the Kentucky line.
12/27/1984: We got to Grandma & Grandpa Ott’s at about 9:30 tonight. We had some pretty rough driving including a patch of zero visibility fog around Findley. Naturally, I was driving. There is a lot of snow on the ground and the boys wanted to go right out to play. We told them to wait for tomorrow morning.
12/28/1984: Disaster! It warmed up and rained during the night so there is no snow for the boys to play in. they are really disappointed.
12/29/1984: We went up to East Lansing today to do a little bit of shopping. We had hoped to see Ruth and Baray but they weren’t home.
12/31/1984: I went to visit Mary today. It was so good to see her. It has been too long. I wish we lived closer. I have really missed her.