I Heart Plumbers

Haha, so yes, it's true. Plumbers have definitely been a large part of my life for the last five months (yes, today is my 6-month anniversary of living in my house!!) As some of you may remember, my plumbing issues began about a month after I moved in. Go here to refresh your memory, or read up on the past to help you gain a better understanding. So, fast forward another month after the previously mentioned episode and hear it all starting again in the plumbing in my house the night before my open house!!! Yikes! I definitely called my plumber, Pete (yes, we were on a first-name basis by now), who instructed me to call the city because my problem wouldn't be happening this soon after the last incident. So, I called the city, and out they came to perform their own clean-out of the system. Problem solved.
... or so I thought. Fast forward three more months. And picture this: I am painting furniture in my living room late at night while doing some laundry. The toilets begin to make this strange noise (imagine blowing bubbles in your drink with a straw), and then, it happens - everything stops and you hear that terrible sound of water (among other things) come UP into your bathtub. Oh yes, lovely. It is now 11:30 at night. I can't call Pete at 11:30 at night!?!? Nope, I sure can't, so I call my mom and I go spend the night at their house! Haha. I wait and call Pete the next day and he comes out to work his magic. This time, I know the problem is not solved, so I decide to try to be smart and use my home warranty. Unfortunately, it didn't work out quite the way I had planned, but I DO now have properly functioning plumbing and a completely torn up front yard. As I mentioned in my last post, they were quite intriguing as they dug a hole that they could jump in and they disappeared! Ridiculous. Remember how I said I really wanted pictures, but I didn't want them to think I belonged in the loony bin? Well, as my luck would have it, they had to go to Home Depot for a part, so what did I do? I definitely grabbed my camera and went out to the hole for pictures!!! Get ready...
Here is the tractor they used to dig the gargantuan hole...

In the very center of the picture, you can see the infamous hole.

And here it is!!! The brownish pipe that is sticking out in the top of the hole is the city tap. The pipe that is strewn in the middle of the hole is my old pipe... more on that to come below...

Here is where you can see where my old pipe belonged and ran from my clean-out to the city tap.

So onto that old pipe... apparently, when a previous owner of my house had the sewer pipes replaced, their plumber failed to finish the job. They replaced the pipe from the house to the clean-out, but the house owner is responsible for everything up to the city tap. So, there was a 4 foot section that had old pipe that "never should have been put in the ground" according to my second plumber (whose name I never got). The pipe that you see strewn in the hole was basically rotten and had no bottom. Basically, nothing could make it through the pipe because it wasn't 'smooth' on the inside. My plumber could stick his shovel THROUGH the pipe - that's how rotten it was!! So yes, they replaced it, and hopefully, I will have no more problems for a very long time. I've already put it to the test... I did two loads of laundry in one day. And four people took a shower within an hour or so time span, and NO backing up! So, thank you plumbers, for fixing my problem and for always being there. I've never known how important you are to the human race, but if anyone is ever putting you or your profession down, know that you will always have a supporter in me. I will always be grateful for properly functioning plumbing system. And, I'm fairly certain my bank account will be grateful that you finally fixed the problem once and for all! And one more grateful comment... my little brother/lawn service is grateful for the large amount of dirt you left in the yard covered with hay that now prevents him from being able to mow the lawn in this ridiculously hot weather. Clearly, I am grateful for plumbers tonight... who knew?!

MIA

Sorry, I've been somewhat MIA over the last month. A lot has happened and is continuing to happen as I type!
As I mentioned before, I went to NYC with some girls from work - Lindsay, Lydia, Elizabeth, and Kathleen. We had a blast! It was a whirlwind trip and we did almost all the tourist things in the short time we were there. We shopped (or dreamed of shopping) on 5th Avenue, went to the Statue of Liberty, tried to go up in the Empire State Building, saw Mamma Mia!, went to Central Park, ate at Serendipity, and went to Little Italy for pizza! It really was a fun and somewhat cheap trip. I am grateful for their friendship and the fact that we can have fun outside of work.
I got home from New York on a Thursday night and then rode with the fam to Mississippi for a wedding. My cousin, Collin, got married in Bay St. Louis. Onni, Grace, and Murphy were able to come, as well as my grandparents, aunt and uncle, cousins Russ, Michele, and Keegan. We went to the Rehearsal Dinner on Friday night (where we got eaten alive by bugs). The coolest thing was that it was at a house that was across the street from the beach, but the house survived Hurricane Katrina! We parked where other houses had been, and this one made it because those houses basically got pushed up against it and created a dam for the water. Incredible! It was so sad to see the different areas where houses and buildings had once been, but were very clearly destroyed by Katrina. I was there a few years ago on a mission trip, and while things haven't changed much, they have at least gotten rid of the debris. I feel like that is a huge step - yes, I realize they still have a long ways to go. It was kinda eerie... there were piers that had everything but the boards that you walk on, others had missing sections, and some just had the main posts. The 'house' I remember the most was one that had the foundation, the 'stilts', and the spiral staircase that obviously led to what was once the house. So sad. Saturday morning we spent some time on the beach. Murphy was hilarious in the water - he will definitely be a lot of fun in Sarasota. The wedding was Saturday afternoon and lasted well into the evening. The bride was beautiful and it was really a fun reception. We went to a brunch honoring Collin and Melissa Sunday morning before heading back home. It was nice to spend time with the fam.
Since then, I have been home just working around my house. I started working on my chest, and am almost finished!! I put like 5 coats of paint on it, sanding in between each one, and I have now put polyurethane on it. I will sand it one last time, and then my dad has to fix the bottom of it so it will sit level. Then, it will go in my room and I'll be FINISHED with that. I painted my hallway last week - will post pictures later. It is blue - two lighter versions of the blue from the living room (darker of the two on bottom, lighter on top). Very glad that is done. I will hang my last pictures, then clean the huge mess I have made from these projects. Then, for now, the house projects will be done for a while. Speaking of house projects... remember my plumbing problems?? Well, they came back. So, currently, there is a crew digging up my front yard to replace some pipes - at least, I think that's what they'll be doing. I'm not even sure anymore. I DO know that there is a tractor and huge pile of dirt in my yard, and I so badly want to go out and take a picture. I really want to take a picture of the fact that one of them is IN the hole but I can't even see him - that's how deep they're having to dig! But I'm pretty sure these guys would think I'm nuts, so I will resist the urge.
So, I've been somewhat productive this summer and had lots of fun, so I'm satisfied. And it's not even over yet! I will try to be better about updating over the next couple of weeks before I head to the beach. But I can make no promises. Hope all of you are having a great summer so far!

Sweet Summertime

Like I said in my last post, it is so hard for me to believe how quickly the time has passed this year. However, please don't mistake that unbelief for ungratefulness - I LOVE summer!!! Haha. And it promises to be a busy one... and I will tell you that I would have it no other way! There are weddings, guard practices, summer Kindergarten work (for some extra moolah), a trip to NYC, almost two weeks at the beach, a weekend with my girls at Rebecca's wedding, and some summer house projects! I am just so excited. I had intended to get started right away on things this weekend, but I just haven't found the motivation. I have fully enjoyed this long, relaxing weekend in every way imaginable. I did absolutely nothing on Saturday, or Sunday, and I don't think today looks to be more eventful than the last two days. I am okay with that! I will say that in between watching some TV (which I hardly ever do), feeding my neighbor's dogs, reading, napping, and "facebooking", I have done some productive things.

I received my Pampered Chef stuff last week, and I finally had the chance to open the boxes and sort the orders! WOW, I got a lot of awesome stuff! I washed everything last night before going to my Mom and Dad's for dinner, and found a place for everything this morning. I even cleaned up my mail piles - which get pretty bad. I've found all the things that have worked their way to my house that really belong at school and put them in one place so I can return them tomorrow. And really, that's about it. I am planning on organizing my craft room and dragging out my scrapbook stuff today. I'd like to sort out my pictures and figure out which pictures I need printed and that kind of thing. I am pretty pumped about getting started on all of that again. But I sure have a lot of work to do to catch up!

And with that, I am going to get to work. Sorry this was such a boring post, but I felt like I owed a post, and that's about all I've got right now... although I did just think of something. After I've been productive, I'll post again... enjoy your Memorial Day!!!

Ten Days

Wow, I can't believe how quickly time has gone by over the past 10 months! I am very happy, but it is so hard for me to believe that there are only 10 days left of the school year. I am ready for my class to move on this year. I feel confident that they will all succeed in first grade. I have taught them all to the best of my ability. I currently have 16 precious students in my kindergarten class, and have had the pleasure of teaching 19 students throughout the school year. I smile everyday that I hear my kids picking up a book and reading it - or trying to. And while I don't really like for them to talk in the hallway, I always smile when I hear a student trying to sound out a word or asking, "Miss Hynninen, what's that word say?" We are currently reviewing all of our math skills by going through a practice workbook. It has been amazing to me to see how many things they remember - their little brains are amazing little sponges! We are also going back over our handwriting which has been somewhat of a nightmare. I am definitely going to be more picky about that from the very beginning. Like I've said, they learn things so quickly - and unfortunately, they also learn bad habits quickly. For example, I have a student that hates to write so he will write the first letter of his name and then scribble a little wiggly line for the rest of his name. Ridiculous!! I have another student that will put big spaces between her letters on her handwriting sheet, so she won't have to write as many. I have another student that will just not do her work - and thinks I won't notice! Unfortunately for these students, I have been exceptionally picky over these last few weeks. I will erase their shortcomings and send them back to work during recess (I don't intentionally pull them away from their play time, but that is when I have the time to check their work - and lucky for them, they've been given extra recess time in recent days because we actually have time for that!) Two of the three students I just mentioned have begun to change their ways and know they need to do their work the right way the first time. Of course, there are still those students who just don't care. I pray everyday that their attitude would change - they have a LOT of school ahead of them and don't need that attitude to last.

Not only has time flown in the school sense, but in my personal world. It is hard for me to fathom that I have been a homeowner for almost 6 months - crazy! And I have lived here for just over four months. I walked into this strange house on November 26 that had completely white walls, and it now only has 8 white walls (4 in the hallway and 4 in the bathroom). Every room has furniture and almost every room is completely finished. I bought the final piece for my bedroom this weekend (at Wood You in Auburn) and it will be my first summer project. I am going to "paint" it white and then de-stress the wood to try to make it match my armoire. I plan on doing the same thing to the bedside table I bought as well. I am hoping that my dad will get my armoire fixed and moved in by the end of the summer, so then everything will be complete! I would love to have some chairs and a lamp table in my living room, but I think I'll save up for those and get something I really like. So for now, everything is good.

I cannot believe I am about to finish my second year of teaching. What a joy and challenge it has been - a whirlwind for sure that nobody could have prepared me for! Only by the grace of God have I survived this "real world" since graduating from college. It has been exciting, but it has also been hard. Looking back, it is obvious to me that the Lord has worked in my life. There have been times of grief, and there have been times of joy. There have been times of tears, and times of laughter. He has definitely walked by my side through every time and I am thankful. He has placed people in my life at the appropriate moments reminding me that His timing is perfect. He has completely changed my plans reminding me that He has a perfect plan for my life. God certainly has a funny sense of humor, but He also has a funny way of reminding us "who's boss" so that we always come running back to Him. I have definitely done my fair share of running in the last two years, and I hope that I am now at least running on the same track that He wants me on so I can slow down and smell the aroma of His love that is surrounding me.

I apologize for not posting in a while, but obviously, life has been a little hectic. I hope that things are slowing down, so I really can stop and smell the roses, as people like to say. I'll keep you posted if that actually happens. In the meantime, I pray that the Lord will reach out to you and to me so we can continue to grow in the knowledge of His grace.

My Small Bladder

So, as most of you that read this know, I have an incredibly small bladder. It's terrible. I could go all day at school in middle and high school without going to the bathroom - because I was scared I would catch some disease in those bathrooms! (at least until we moved into our new school my junior year and yes, I do realize this means I was extremely dehydrated probably all the time - oh well!) Now, I teach Kindergarten and I can only go to the bathroom when I take my kids to specials or during my lunch break. Thankfully, I have a wonderful parapro that I can trust with my kids and she doesn't mind if I leave for a few minutes to relieve my bladder. So I probably go about three times throughout the school day - only 7.5 hours - and I go immediately after school. And that's a good day!!! As soon as school is out, it seems like my bladder just knows I am no longer restricted, so I have to go all the time. Imagine other days when I don't have school/kids in my room - I literally have to go all the time. Well... here are a few stories over the last few years...

Brittany and I were on our way back from attending a reading conference in Huntsville when we stopped to eat lunch with Phyliss (her mom) on Sunday afternoon. We got started back towards Auburn and decided we wanted to stop and look at the new houses they were building in Chelsea Park. We drove to the back of the neighborhood and walked through the houses that were still being built, so they had no doors and such. On our way out, I decided I needed to go to the bathroom. There really weren't many options on that part of 280. So what was I supposed to do? We noticed that several of the houses that were move-in ready were open to potential buyers to walk through and such, so I came to the conclusion that they had running water. And how convenient that I kept napkins in my car! So, we carried in some napkins to this one house, looked through it, and decided we just had to the use the bathroom in that house. I went first with no problems. And Brittany went after me. As luck would have it, I was standing in the kitchen when the front door opened, and then she flushed the toilet. The man walked in and introduced himself as the builder and wanted to know if I had any questions and so on. As he is in the middle of talking, Brittany walks out of the bathroom. HILARIOUS! We totally made up for it, but I really don't remember how, and it was completely embarassed. Other people have told us that it was terrible, but I would totally do it again if I had to go that bad! HAHA.

Another time I had been out in Opelika for something with Terri Leigh and Jack. I honestly do not remember where we were or what we were doing, but I do remember that we were coming back into Auburn to go to something else. Well, as it turns out, we both had to go to the bathroom, and I guess wherever we were going didn't have bathrooms???! So, we tried to think of places that we could stop and go to the bathroom. I HATE gas station bathrooms so those were out of the question. I think we thought about the fact that Lakeview was open for some reason or another, but would look stupid if we did that. We turned onto Samford Avenue and I said, "I wonder if Mrs. Marcia is home and still awake - we could stop there!" So, I think we drove by her house first to see if there were lights on, and there were so we turned around and came back. I know we scared her to death knocking on her door late that night, but thankfully, she recognized us in the dark and let us in. And she totally understood that we were going to be like those guests who "eat and run" only we weren't eating in this case! HAHA. I sure wish I could remember where we had been and where we were going!

So, if you live in a house in Chelsea Park, I am sorry that your bathroom may have been used once before you moved in, but I do thank you for allowing me to relieve my bladder. You helped me to avoid some serious bladder problems that day I'm sure. At the same time, thank you Mrs. Marcia for answering your door when I'm sure you were worried sick as to why someone was ringing your doorbell late that night. And thank you for understanding that Terri Leigh and I were basically using you for your toilet that night - I definitely appreciate your hospitality! :) To all of you out there, be aware that if you move into a brand new house, the bathroom may have been used before, but don't be offended - just think of it as "paying it forward" in a backwards kind of way. And, if I know you really well, always know that if I see a light on in your house late at night, I see it as a sign that you are awake and available to answer the door to your friend who needs a blessing at that moment. And for everyone out there, please know that my bathroom is always available to those that may be in need. I cannot promise you that it will not overflow, but at least you'll get to relieve your bladder!!

Our Great God

I am amazed tonight at the power of the Holy Spirit. Three years ago on March 18, a precious godly man, HT Ford, was taken home to be with the Lord. He was the father of Toma Knight - "my Auburn mom" and spiritual mentor. Ever since that day, I have remembered the date (for the most part) and told myself that I want to always send Toma and Becky a message of some sort to let them know that I am thinking of them on that day. Well... last night as I was getting ready for bed, I realized that it was April 1st which meant March was over and I had missed the date. I wrestled with myself over whether it was March 18 or March 19, but had already turned my computer off for the night. So, this morning it was still bothering me that I couldn't quite remember the date, so I tried to look it up online when I got to work. I couldn't find it right away and had some things to do to get ready for my kiddies, so I gave up. Then, I tried again after school. The first result to come up ended up being an obituary for Abigail Ford from the Macon newspaper. I pieced it together and figured out that this 14-year-old granddaughter of HT Ford passed away on Wednesday. I knew that I immediately needed to call Toma and tell her this story. I was so excited when she answered so I could share this with her. It has turned out that Abby has been having health problems for a long time and had made some progress in the past week. The doctor made some changes earlier this week, and unfortunately, they were not to the benefit of Abby's earthly body. However, the Lord is sovereign and had a plan - as he does for each and every one of us. Toma said it has been neat because Abby's dad/Toma's brother, Ty, as well as her husband, Cliff, and brother-in-law, Chris, were given the opportunity to share the love of the Lord with Abby's doctor. She did ask that I continue to pray for Abby's family, especially her mom, Traci. I know that not very many people read this, but I figured even one more person praying than me is great. PLEASE pray for Abby's family - her parents, Ty and Tracie, and her siblings, Grace, Lilly, and Luke as they go throughout the coming days with her celebration service tomorrow and the burial service on Saturday. In addition, pray for the entire Ford family - Mrs. Martha (HT's wife/Toma's mom), Cliff and Toma, Tom and Leigh, Chris and Katie, and all of Abby's cousins. Remember to trust in Him with all your heart... and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). So clearly, I forgot March 18 this year so that the Lord could guide me to finding Abby online today so that he could piece this story together today. What an awesome testimony to the power of the Lord - to God be the glory!

New Hobby

I know, it's crazy, because I already have enough unfinished projects laying around, but... I have discovered that I LOVE stamping. I decided to give it a try when we went to Missouri two summers ago and I saw what Dawn had done. She made some pretty incredible things, and she gave me her catalog to look at while I was there. I think I spent the entire week just carrying that catalog around gawking at all the adorable things that stamp creators had thought of! This past fall, I found myself gawking at the 50th wedding anniversary celebration invitations Dawn had made with a stamp. Several of us drove up to Missouri for the party, and I got another catalog. This time it was mine to keep! When my mom asked me for additional things I wanted for Christmas this past year, I just handed her the catalog with my favorite stamps listed! Thankfully, I got several and was so excited. Unfortunately, with all the new house excitement and life in general, I haven't had a chance to do much with them. I decided this week to save myself some money and make thank you cards instead of purchasing them after I ran out last week. So, I made my way to the Rubber Stamp Fantasy on the Square (amazing!) and bought blank cards and envelopes. This afternoon, I went to town. It was the only productive thing I've done all day, and it didn't even take that long! Take a look...
You'll notice that I stuck with the same three or four stamps, but changed the ink colors. Obviously, they're not the greatest things ever made, but I still think they're pretty cute. I cannot wait for other occasions that are coming up that will allow me to make some different cards.

These next ones are my favorites. I kept having to clean off my stamps on a scrap piece of paper, and most of the time, I found that I liked the softened stamp too. So I decided to experiment and try it out. Of course, the orange and blue one is my favorite out of these three...

Now I just have to hope that I don't get too caught up in stamping to forget about my scrapbooking! I am really hoping to just bring stamping into my scrapbooking and then I'll be doing two things that are fun and that I love. I am really hoping to get back into that during my Spring Break because I don't have any major plans - which is fine! My first major project before I can start will be to sort my printed pictures. Maybe I'll plan to get THAT done during Spring Break... one step at a time... one step at a time... I need to keep reminding myself of that!

So there ya go! I have a new hobby that I discovered today! Watch for some fun cards coming your way soon...