Guess what?

Kris is quitting his job at Canterbury. This may seem silly, because he just got it recently. However, there is a very good reason for quitting.

His dad owns a rescue company, who provides on-site medics for all sorts of private projects, as some public. For instance, they provided medics for the rebuilding of the 35W bridge.

The rescue company got hired to be medics for the new Coen brothers movie that will be filming in MN. It is in construction now, and will be filming probably through the middle of November. Kris, as an EMT,  is employed by Rescue Resources, and will be able to work full time with the movie, even some overtime.

The pay? 2.5x what he makes at Canterbury. !!!!!! He will be working the movie 4.5 days/nights a week, and at Outback 2.5 days, in order to keep enough hours for our health insurance. So, he went to Canterbury and said "Sorry guys". Canterbury is sad to lose him, but they understand. The thing about this movie is that the overtime he works has a small window of 1.5x pay, and then double pay after a certain amount of hours. So the overtime he will work can end up being 5x what he makes at Canterbury now!

This is a total answer to prayer. When he got this job at Canterbury, we knew we were in a bind financially, but with how long we've stayed stuck in it, we were much worse off than we thought. This whole movie thing will much more speedily get us back on track. We'll also hopefully be able to do things like get new tires for him and some glasses for me. Maybe we'll be able to answer our phone again! (And maybe the internet will not get turned off as much and maybe our cars will always have insurance from now on!) 

According to our calculations, Kris will need to work about 9 days of movie to make as much as our mortgage payment is. This is a huge step up from the 25 days of Canterbury it took to do the same thing. Plus, having him work that much, but be able to pay our mortgage quickly means we'll be able to pay our other bills so much faster, and we'll be able to pay way more than minimums on credit cards and all our other things.

The movie will also be a long enough time for him to find another job to do afterwards. Hopefully by then there will be an opening at Allina, an ambulance type company that he really wants to work at, but hasn't had openings in like 2 years. Once he gets that job, they will put money towards his continuing education, and will basically pay for him to go from EMT to paramedic.

This is really good, ya'll. Our financial situation has just gone from depressing yet sort of hopeful, to "wow, things are just about to get so much better".

God keeps doing things for us to remind us that He's there, and working in our lives, and wants us to succeed. But this is one of the biggest things He's done, and we're really grateful.

Wordless Wednesday-30 weeks

Leading worship

This is part two of this post.

So leading worship went really well. i mean *really* well.

First, i got there early and practiced. When the team showed up, we completely talked through the whole service: which tags we were taking, how many verses we were doing, which verses to start harmonies on, etc. The talk-through really helped. We practiced, and even though we were a minimalist band, and only had female singers, the ensemble was really good.

When the service started, i managed to count off really good tempos and keep them. We did the first two songs, which went really well. The third song was a little bit more rough because we weren't able to practice that one before the service. But it went ok. The last song went well. Remember how i wasn't sure how well i'd do singing and playing that one? i just didn't sing. It wasn't a big deal. It was more important to keep the music underneath going. i forgot to cue the singers in to the first verse, but no one noticed, and i just played a couple extra intro measures. They came in just fine, and said it was not stressful at all to jump in.

Also, i was not sure if i should say things to introduce any of the songs, so i didn't. However, for the third song, people were sitting down already, and i didn't want them to think it was just special music, so i said "Please sing with us" and they did and it worked out.

People responded really warmly, and i know that i got some of what my boss calls "heebie-jeebies" from a good worship time. It couldn't have gone better, and i blame God. It's nice He showed me that i could decently fill on leading worship, or even better, i feel confident that if doing something like that full-time as a career were something He calls me to, i could do it. Hopefully i'll be able to keep doing things like this, to hone the skill.

i just feel really grateful.

Tomorrow!

Ok, tomorrow is a big day, ya'll.

My boss (the worship leader and main guitarist at church) is on vacation. He had this lady, Becky, who also plays guitar and sings, be the worship leader this week. She had a family emergency come up. So on Thursday, i found out i am going to be the leader.

This is making me pretty nervous. i have sung and played before, but i've only sung background parts, not been the main singer as well as piano player. Plus, when i sing and play, my piano skills are not quite as complex, and i rely much more heavily on the guitarists to keep the music going. There will be no guitarists tomorrow.

It will be me singing and playing, 4 other women singers, a bass player, and a drummer i hardly ever play with. That will be the whole band. i will be the only person there tomorrow who was there for the rehearsal on Tuesday. The crew is getting there at 8:30, and we will have about 45 min to practice and get warmed up and figure out how many verses of which songs we're doing, and what tags, etc.

It's one thing for me to be singing and playing, but it's another for me to be in charge of counting off the rhythm, starting the song, singing well and being the main musician, and making sure everyone is on the same page. The leader has to be in constant communication with the band and singers, in case someone gets lost, or we need to change the tempo or whatever. i've just never done this before. And i won't call my boss or anything to ask millions of questions because he's on vacation, but i'm struggling, because i don't know if i should say stuff, like "Sing with us" or anything. My boss does that, but i'm not sure it's my place. But i don't want to not do it and have everyone expect it and feel awkward.

Here are my goals:

• Be a vessel. i want to merely reflect worship to God and help others get there. i don't want to get in His way.
• Have a really good pre-service rehearsal, where everyone will feel comfortable with the music and the parts, and go strongly and reverently into the service.
  
• Keep a steady beat, no matter how nervous i am. i also want to make sure the tempos are good for everyone singing.
• Keep a strong piano part going. Since there will be no one else playing the base chords or anything, it's really up to me to keep the harmonic instrumentation going. 
• Encourage good ensemble with the band and singers. i also don't want any drama, or people to think that i'm taking over or being a jerk because i'm asserting my temporary authority, even though i'm a good 15 years younger than everyone else. 
• Be an encouragement to my boss, so he knows i'm trustworthy and that the whole place won't fall apart while he's gone.
• Figure out if this whole leading worship gig is what i want. Till now, i've just been the piano player. i've been struggling with knowing what i will want later. i know i will want more responsibility in church music someday, but i didn't know if it entailed being the vocal worship leader or not. Tomorrow, maybe i'll find out if that's what i want.

If i'd known a little more ahead of time, i probably would have been more nervous, but maybe would have been more prepared. i'm going in early to warm up and practice singing and playing. The last song, especially, is super hard to play and sing because the piano part is pretty complicated.

Also, Kris can't be there. For the first time this whole summer, he is working on Sunday morning, even though he's kept every other Sunday open. He calls it "Family Day". So the one Sunday he can't be there is the one i really wish he could be at. 

i've never really been a leader before, and i've suddenly realizing how much stuff i'll have to keep track of all morning. Please pray that it goes well, and i'll be able to stay focused, and that i'll be a worship leader, not a worship distractor. :)

Mouse update

The mouse is no longer with us. Around 11:15 PM on Wednesday, i heard some squeaking. It was not David. My parents gave us some sticky traps and the mouse was stupid enough to get caught on it. i felt kinda bad for the poor thing: its butt was stuck and it was furiously trying to get off the trap, but to no avail. Luckily, Kris got home about 20 minutes later, and relieved the mouse of its misery. So that's the end of the mouse, "Mr. Bojangles" as Kris keeps calling it.

We have another trap set up, just in case there are more mice running around, but i'm pretty sure the mouse we caught is the same as the one i saw. Hopefully that will be the last of them.

We bought some fogger stuff for the bugs in our house. i guess we have to cover everything in the house, activate the foggers, and leave for at least two hours, and that will kill the bugs we have. It seems like a lot of work to me, and the idea of having that toxic stuff in the house really freaks me out, but Kris thinks it's necessary. i've been looking online to figure out what type of bug it is, but can't find it, and am mostly getting itchy looking at pictures of bugs all day. If we knew where they were coming from, we'd just put a bug trap there, but we have no idea of the source of the scourge. i love owning a house.

Anyway, the mouse is gone, and i'm going barefoot again and am not afraid to go in the basement. Mission accomplished!

EEK!!!

Ya'll, there is a MOUSE in my house!!! A mouse!!! i came home tonight, and it was there to greet me in my entryway. And then i freaked out and it ran downstairs. i did not follow.

i put David to bed, and then i went to the living room and watched the entry, and the mouse was back up there! And it went in the front hall closet!!!

Is it bad that i called my parents first, before Kris?

Anyway, i got online to freak out on facebook, like an good 23-year-old, and i swore i felt like the mouse was crawling on me. Nope. Not a mouse. But one of these bugs that i keep seeing around here. CRAWLING ON ME. These bugs are little pieces of Hades, crawling on me tonight of all nights.

AHHHH!!! Mice aren't supposed to live in people's houses anymore. You buy them at the pet store and keep them in a cage. The 1950's with the housewife with the broom on top of the chair thing is supposed to be over by now.

Why does Kris have to work so late?! He won't be home till midnight at least. *Shudder*.

What if it crawls on my bed while i'm sleeping? What if there is a mouse in my blankets, and i get in bed and they scurry on me? Those long tails: those are the GROSSEST things about mice. Or maybe how fast and quiet and sneaky they are. What if i wake up and find a dead mouse under my pillow, like my friend Veronica? (Seriously, you MUST click that link and read the story.)

Wish me luck, and wish that danged mouse very bad karma, please! And the bugs! Why are there bugs and mice in my house?

****CLARIFICATION*****
5:21 AM-i was packing Kris' lunch this morning and he said "Say hi to Mr. Bojangles for me!" i just wanted to let you know, this mouse does not have a name. Just because mouse rhymes with house does not mean "Mouse in my house" is in any way funny or good. This is not a cute mouse. This is a tiny, scurrying piece of evil that lives in my front hall closet. It is not long for this world.

Friday Five 8.1.08

It's been a long time since i've done one of those, so here we go! If you want to join, go here!

1. Of television programs that aired before you were born, what’s your favorite? "Welcome Back, Kotter". If nothing else, i love the theme song.
   
2. What person of historical significance was from your neighborhood or city? Not sure if he was "from" where i grew up, but Kent Hrbek (a famous MN Twin) lived/lives in the city where i grew up.
   
3. What’s a story that’s often been told about someone in your family in the years before you came along? The summer before my mom left for college, she worked on her family farm, like super full-time. She worked her butt off the whole summer, and her "pay" was a transistor radio, or something like that. It was a big deal, i guess. Maybe the equivalent of getting an IPod touch after a summer of work?
   
4. Which of previous generations’ dumb mistakes (in deed or thought) baffles you the most? Um, when people thought jazz was "the devil's music".
   
5. What aspect of life in the good old days would you love to see a return to? Victorian style dressing. Think the clothes Samantha the American Girl would have worn. i would LOVE to go back to the beautiful dresses, restrictive corsets and all!
   

Tip on thrifting

i have been wanting an ice cream maker for a long time. Not just any ice cream maker, but the electric type that doesn't require ice or rock salt. i have almost purchased several, but i keep putting it off in the hopes i find one at a thrift store.

My friend Devin and i went to an awesome thrift store near her a few weeks ago, and imagine my delight when i found an ice cream maker! For like $6, plus the store had a 25% off sale. So for just a little over $4, i happily went home with my new old ice cream maker.

After washing it, i went online to find directions for use, because of course there was no manual. i froze the container just like it said, put in the ingredients, and plugged it in. Something seemed wrong. Turns out, there was no mixing paddle. You kinda need that. i hunted and scoured the interwebs for a replacement part, and it is nowhere to be found. i contacted the manufacturer and the part is no longer available. Of course.

i do this all the time. i bought a blender at a garage sale for $1 that had no rubber stopper on the bottom, so it leaked all over. Because it was the best blender i've ever used, i ended up paying $6 online for a small rubber disk.

Last year, i bought a food processor at Target, a display model, "As is". i was excited because it was only $25 instead of $50. i noticed there was no blade, but i figured i'd just buy one on ebay. Nope. None on ebay. i had to order one from the manufacturer, which was $14.99 plus $9.99 shipping. It was missing a food pusher thing that comes in the box, but i didn't order that, because it was $10 more. So for the same amount of money a new one would have cost, i got less food processor goodness.

So anyway, if you buy opened small appliances, make sure all the pieces are in there. It has cost me quite a bit of time and money to learn that lesson! i'm not sure if i'm never going to buy opened appliances again, but i'm not going to get so excited about a great deal that i will forget about functionality.

A small musing

David and i were at the playground tonight. There were two little girls there, one about 7 and one about 2, i'd say. The 7-year-old was helping her little sister swing and was very adorable.

One thing i noticed: her pants. For some unknown-to-me reason, the phrase "My Melody" was screen printed on the back. Where one would expect the word "Juicy" on an older, less wholesome female.

Then my mind went on to ask "My Melody"? Why would *that* be the words? Is it some sort of brand i haven't heard of? A melody coming from a person's backside doesn't seem so cute to me, anyway.

i just want to let you know, i am not a supporter of words on a little girl's tush. It just doesn't seem right to me. In the words of one of my favorite bloggers, "The butt is not a billboard".

Just a thought.

Wow!!!

Call me hormonal, but i'm all of a sudden having this burst of can't-wait-holy-crap-i'm-excited-wow-yay for having a baby soon! i will get no sleep and will soon be remembering all those things you forget about how much childbirth sucks, but in around 11 weeks, i'll be holding my sweet little angel girl in my arms.

This outburst could be due to my pal Rachel having her little girl Madeleine last week, (Congrats mama!) or the 3 other friends i have who gave birth last week, but i'm reallyreallyreallyreally glad that soon i will have a teeny baby again. i've been having serious baby jealousy at church lately. Lots of new babies. i whisper to Kris: "i want that little baby girl!" and he goes "You have one!" and i go "But i want one that i can hold!"

Pretty soon, i won't have to be asking to hold other babies: i'll have my own sweet teeny-tiny.

OK. Resume normal activity. i just needed to get it off my chest!

My house is clean!

This is a post in itself. On Saturday, i went bat-poo crazy and finally was a good wife and cleaned my house. We had company over for lunch Sunday and even they remarked on how clean the house was! It was the cleanest it's been since David's birthday party, after we had completely repainted and refloored our kitchen, living room, and entry.

i am not a clean person. It is just not in my nature. My mom will attest to it. i have the hardest time maintaining any kind of decent housekeeping, and clutter forms, and so does dust, and it's bad. The only thing i can do is invite people over, drink caffiene (i know!) and clean till i drop, or in Saturday's case, clean from 9 AM till 1:30 AM Sunday. But it's beautiful now. Kris came home on Saturday night after work and sat down and sighed with relief. He feels much better coming home to a clean house, and it makes me feel guilty that i don't keep it that way. Guys, it's my goal to keep it clean this time. So far, it's been immaculate for a whole day. i even cleaned up the kitchen and stuff after company left.

Our bedroom is still horrible, because we just close the door when company comes over. It's my goal to tackle that this week. i can't even walk to my side of the bed, because all of our laundry is scattered from the wall to my bed, so i have to crawl into it from the foot of the bed.

Kris is not an affirmation guy, unlike me. You tell him "thanks for all you do!" and he doesn't know how to respond and just keeps playing Halo. But you clean the house, and it's like you gave him a million dollars. i've gotta keep it clean!!!

We smoked a turkey yesterday. We bought a smoker at Walmart a few months ago, on sale for $20. It's electric and wonderful. We used hickory chips, and a turkey i got for .68/lb last month. We smoked it for like 5 hours, and it came out wonderfully! Kris pulled it off the bone, diced it, smothered it in BBQ sauce, and we had BBQ pulled turkey for lunch, without turning on the oven. Yum! My parents gave us some corn on the cob from the farmer's market and some potato salad, and we had a very nice lunch. Unfortunately, our friends had to leave after only a couple hours to get their son to nap. But it left us with a clean house and a full afternoon of relaxing.

Then in the evening, we went to a concert at the A/G church where i grew up. My friend Mindy and her friend Nate are singer-songwriters, and they organized a benefit for a missionart family in India. i'd never heard Mindy sing before, and it was a really great night. Also, Sara Groves, a member of the church and a somewhat well-known Christian singer whose music and voice are kind of a Christian Sarah Maclachlin, was a guest singer and sang two songs. i haven't gotten to hear her perform since she wrote a song for one of the Christmas productions i was in 5 years ago, so it was nice to hear her. One thing i like is that she still seemed the same, just as warm and approachable, as she was when she was just Sara from church who writes music. She sang one of my favs from back then: "He's always been faithful" and led us all in singing "Great is thy faithfulness." It was a very nice evening.

i saw a bunch of people i grew up knowing, as well. It was fun, reconnecting with my past. It's been 4 1/2 years since i'd stepped foot in that church and started playing piano at the church where i got married, but it was very warm and inviting. i was nervous to go, but ended up being very glad i went.

How was all of your weekends?

Last weekend

Hello everyone! How are you all today?



i have meant to blog about last weekend all week, but it's crazy how fast these weeks are going!



Anyway, i got the flu last Saturday, and it lasted till Monday morning. Let's just say, i lost 9 lbs over that time. Yuck! i'm feeling much better now, but my mom has it now and it sounds like my friend Mommy to Muchkins has it too. Sorry if i gave it to you guys!



Last Friday night through Saturday morning, i watched my six-year-old nephew for my brother overnight. It is funny how unaccustomed to watching older kids i am. David adores him, and my nephew kept having to say "No David, I don't want your blanket. Or your sippy cup!" David was bothering him while he was playing video games, and it is hereditary for my nephew to be grumpy to be interrupted while he's playing. :)



On Sunday night, we went to the zoo. Thrivent financial was having a family day, where family members of members could go to the zoo for $5 each. Since we haven't bought a membership to the zoo yet, it ended up being a big savings and we went with Kris' aunt, Grandma, Brother and SIL, and two nieces and a nephew. It was fun! Outside of me not feeling the greatest, we all enjoyed ourselves. David was able to understand the animals a lot better than other trips to the zoo, so he'd point at the animals he'd see and giggle. It was cute! Here's some pictures.

 

There's a bird on my head!

On Monday, Kris and i and a couple friends went to see the Dark Knight at the IMAX. Holy crap, that was an awesome movie. Here was the line we had to wait in, after showing up 45 minutes early on the fourth day since its release.  There was an entire other room full of people waiting that you can't even see in this picture.

It was a nice weekend. i've spend most of this week recovering from it, though! Oh, David learned how to climb up the steps up our townhouse playground and go down the slide by himself! Here's a video.



Isn't he sweet? i love him.



Hope ya'll are having a wonderful week, and enjoy your weekend!

An email i got today

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Icky stomach

It is 2:00 AM and i'm up, with a very tight feeling stomach and i feel very yucky. i was having some heartburn earlier, and then it went away, then my stomach felt kinda strange, then i had killer heartburn, and now my stomach feels tight and yucky.

i don't think it's contractions, because i'm not feeling anything "down there", but i don't feel good at all.

This is the first time i've felt like this during this pregnancy, and i actually can't remember feeling like this last time, though i could easily have blocked it out.

OK, that is all. If i'm not feeling better by tomorrow morning, i'm calling the nurse line. i just needed to tell someone about it now.

Hope you all are having a better night than i am!


*******UPDATE****************
It's 3.11 AM and i'm feeling better. Don't know what that was, but after an hour of reading at my guilty pleasure, it's off to bed again!

Wordless Wednesday-Who needs kid's books?

 

He's reading a book called "Praying the Bible for Your Life".

Baby worries

Amidst all the summer goings-on, i appear to have somehow slipped into my third trimester. When did that happen?

i already feel a little guilty that i'm not as interested in Cadence as i was with David. She moves and is very active, but i don't notice it as much. All of my conversations don't revolve around her, the way they did when i was pregnant with David. Haven't scanned in her U/S pics yet, and missed a Dr's appointment last week because i forgot to schedule it in my phone. i rescheduled it, but didn't even feel that bad about it. (It's the super-fun glucose test, where you drink the sugary syrup liquid and wait at the Dr. for an hour. Looking forward to it tomorrow!)


The thing i worry about the most is i worry that i won't take as many pictures of her as i did of David. We took about 80 pics of him per minute when he was newer. We still take a lot of them. Will i take so many of Cadence? Will i even have the time to just stare at her, camera in hand, or will i be so exhausted that i'll miss that newborn wonderment?

i'm also worried to go through the whole newborn thing again. That time when they cry a lot and don't have a personality and need to be fed every three hours...i'm not sure that sounds like so much fun. Can i skip that? Can we jump ahead to 5 or 6 months, where she'll be smiling and sleeping through the night? But i don't want to skip all the way to crawling. i do look forward to having a stationary baby for a while.


OK, thanks for letting me get that off my chest. i know things will work out, but sometimes...it's just a little worrisome.

Oh, P.S., i'm extremely grateful that my baby worries are this trivial. There are a lot worse concerns, baby-wise, that i am spared, and i promise you i don't forget about it.

Bloggy gumbo

There have been so many things that i've missed telling you!



For instance, last week i visited my friend Liz and her beautiful new baby, Mallory. Here they are, an angelic pic of momma and daughter.

Our fourth of July was fun. David wore this hat for only about five seconds, so the pic is the best one i could get.

We went to my brother's house for a grillout. It was nice and relaxing. He did a great job preparing veggies and being a good host, in general. i brought baked beans.

Then we went to see fireworks in Richfield. These are the fireworks Kris and i grew up going to. Luckily, Kris didn't end up getting scheduled that night, so we took David to see the fireworks for the first time.

It was also the two-year anniversary of these pictures. Did i look surprised? (i was faking it.)

After the fireworks were over, we started walking to our van. And we walked, and walked, and walked. Kris and i had forgotten to pay attention to where we parked. We walked up 10 blocks, down 10 blocks, over 3, and up 5 until we found the van. It was very miserable, that hour of walking after a long day, with swelly pregnant feet. David was a champ in his stroller though and didn't cry even though he was so tired!



He promptly conked out in the car.

He has a security blanket now. And it's adorable! i'm glad he's got a "comfort item", as Kate from Jon and Kate+8 would say. He'll be crying, and i'll give him his blanket, and he giggles. It's the cutest thing ever! Kris, of course, is worried that he'll still be using it when he's in college, but i know at some point he'll outgrow it. And in the meantime, we'll have something comforting to give him in new situations, like a new baby?!



Remember when i was talking about training David to come when i call? i bought some cookies for him, the iced animal cookies. i got him something he's never had before, and i want those to only be given to him while he's being trained. However, the bag of them may have ended up in the van. And elves may have snuck into the van and eaten the majority of the cookies. Training will be resumed once i replace the stolen cookies! Maybe i should consider getting him training cookies that aren't so delicious to me elves.



Have a great day, everyone!

Wordless Wednesday-First fireworks

A sign God loves us and wants us to be happy

You may think that these pictures are ones Kris and i took yesterday at the Canterbury fireworks, celebrating the upcoming fourth of July. Well yes, technically, Canterbury had these fireworks yesterday, but they were not for the holiday. They were for the advent of this beauty in MN. *Insert sound of angels singing and babies laughing*

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, Sonic has come to MN. For you, this may not mean much. This can be for one of many reasons:

• You don't live here, so you don't know how much Minnesotans have had to suffer, with no Sonic restaurants in the state, yet oddly frequent commercials. It was rough. i craved Sonic, yet would have had to drive two states away in order to eat it. Shameful.


• You don't like fast food. In which case, you are still welcome here, but you are an anomaly to me, and i will probably pray for you. (More than i do now.)


• You don't like Sonic. Now that's just plain silly, and i am praying for you!

Kris called me from work yesterday and said "I'm taking you out for a surprise for lunch." So we drove to St. Paul. It was a long drive (1/2 hour) but so worth it! i was furiously looking around, trying to locate the place he had very suspensefully taken me to, and then i saw the beautiful Sonic logo. Kris and i have been talking for years about how we wish there was a Sonic in MN for us to at least try, since the commercials were so compelling, and people like my friend Daphne would blog about it. 

The Sonic sign gleamed golden and red in the sun. 

We had to drive to an abandoned charity (sad, huh?) down the street to get in line, so someone could put a Sonic sign on our window so we could enter the Sonic parking lot. This was a 40 minute wait. Evidently, even though the Sonic is a month old already, people are still flocking to it in record numbers at 2:30 in the afternoon.

We were worried that it would be a disappointment, after all the hype we had already attributed to it, but let me tell you: It was a thing of beauty. i had the chili cheese dog with fries and a cherry limeade. Kris had the spicy island burger with mozzarella sticks and a strawberry limeade. David had popcorn chicken. For dessert, we all shared the cheesecake bites and a chocolate malt. i will dream about that chili cheese dog. It was incredible! And there was real fruit in our limeades! And it was all reasonably priced!

Yes. It was the fattiest, biggest meal i've eaten in a long time. It was ridiculously far away to drive for fast food. But i will look back and remember it as a monument of our time. Kris and i had to go 23 years without eating at Sonic. i'm just glad my son has gotten to experience Sonic at the tender age of 16 months. Someday we'll be saying, "Back when we were kids, there was no Sonic here." His eyes will widen with terror. 

We will not be driving all that way again to go to Sonic. That was a one-time deal. But do you know why? They are opening a Sonic in Savage. 10 minutes away.   

We will soon be able to go try all the different flavour combinations of flavoured sodas. i'll have tried the chili cheese tots. i will no longer be wondering if the breakfast is as wonderful as i've heard. i will know.

i very much enjoyed my food.

David was chowing on his cheesecake bite.

Sleep in Sonic-induced coma heavenly peace, David.

The only drawback with Sonic? No indoor seating. i get that it's cute and 50's that it's drivethrough and drivein only, but i just wonder how that will fare for 1. the employees during the winter, and 2. the drivers during the winter with gas at $4/gallon. i have a feeling the drivein part of the restaurant will be a ghost town during the -20 windchills in January. 

Nonetheless: Sonic is here! i am replete with satisfaction.

Great tip on how to peel hard-boiled eggs!

*7.4. Update: i think this should work. If it's not working, let me know!

This is a video of the BEST way i've ever seen to get the shell off an egg. It's a minute long video. Make sure to watch it. It'll blow your mind, and save you a LOT of trouble while making egg salad!