snow days

we are on snow day #4 here in whatcom county. my three-day weekend (thanks to mlk, jr. day) turned into a nine-day weekend.

i'm not really complaining, except that this was supposed to be exam week, we were supposed to have a nice workday today to grade exams and projects and prepare report cards...and now we're pushing exams to next week.

and i also have a terrible time being motivated when i have "endless" hours to complete my tasks. tuesday was ok. i was semi-productive and enjoyed reading and watching a movie. wednesday was great: philip was home most of the day and we attacked the spare room and other projects with a vengeance. (too bad we didn't quite finish...now there are piles of stuff everywhere.)

but yesterday. ach, yesterday. it was horrible. i had things i could have done: cleaned bathrooms, scrubbed floors, organized cupboards, made a menu plan, planned for next quarter, finished the Old Testament, removed my nail polish from the october wedding, hung photographs, blogged...well, the list goes on. did i do any of these things? no. i sat in the chair almost all day, reading, napping, watching movies, and eating unhealthy foods. not that there's anything inherently evil about any of that stuff, but i certainly wasn't doing it out of enjoyment. i did it because it required very little of me and was the easiest thing to do. by the end of the day, i was super crabby and tired and annoyed with myself. knowing philip was coming home, i made a nice dinner for him and lit candles and cleaned up the apartment a bit. that's motivation right there--someone to interact with. it was a much better end to an annoyingly long and depressing day.

anyway, today has been much better. i cleaned, actually left the apartment (i did some school planning at the neighborhood coffee house), ate a healthy lunch, and did some laundry. i feel MUCH better. i'm rereading little women right now, and there's a chapter devoted to the girls' laziness and how it makes them crabby, restless, and irritable. lesson learned, little women. lesson learned.

in spite the excitement of having a few unexpected days off school, i'm ready to go back to work. i'm grateful to have a job and purpose and motivation to fulfill my tasks.

a little bit of peace

many changes since the last post. my new attitude toward the situation made the time with rod and vonnie and other family special and memorable. we said goodbye to grandpa on january 3, and commemorated his life on january 7. grandma moved down to california on january 9. and now we've had a week of a "new normal." the week was tiring and busy--we forgot what normal felt like. once or twice i thought we haven't seen grandpa and grandma in awhile--we really should stop by. and then i'd remember that that time has passed now. it's sad. but also a relief that what we'd been waiting for for several weeks happened. we're grateful for the time spent with grandpa and grandma.

grandpa & grandma at our wedding. special.

philip and i needed some together time after the last few months. the thing about living far from family is that every time we travel, it's to visit family. and we've had a year (6 months!) FULL of family. it's awesome. but a definite downside is that we don't often take time for just the two of us. we've gone away once since our honeymoon, and it's been close to a year since then. so this weekend, we planned to go away. 

well, we intended to stay overnight somewhere, and then decided to take the money we'd spend on accommodations and spend it on something else. we decided to take the ferry to friday harbor--we took the ferry that stopped at all the other major san juan islands (lopez, shaw, & orcas) so that the ride would be longer and we could see other ports. we didn't really want to stay in friday harbor for 3 1/2 hours, so we turned right back around and headed back to anacortes. on the ferry, we read, took pictures, and just relaxed. we left a cloudy mainland for a sunny friday harbor, and found sunshine when we returned to the mainland. after relaxing at home, we ate out at the big fat fish co. in fairhaven. never been there before, but it was yummy! 

a few pictures from our trip:

 stormy weather

 so peaceful (except that i was reading about war...)

 silly birds at the orcas island port

 clouds breaking

 sunny friday harbor

 sadly, we have very few pictures together. we're not really poser types, i guess.

mmmmm.

also, i've been reading books like a fiend. i've finished 5 since january 1 (four of them have been finished in the last 72 hours--this tells you how great i am at starting books...)

new year.

much has happened since my last post. thanksgiving, christmas, and a pile of visitors and stress.

let me say first that christmas was excellent. we flew to a snow-less iowa and spent 8 days immersed in family, friends, and games. it was difficult to leave again--i thought it would be easier this year, but after getting used to being back in iowa, it took a mental adjustment to be ready to come home. and home is wonderful, too. we missed ophy and our bed and our space. but being with my family was spectacular.

this break was much needed, since grandpa haveman's health has been plummeting the last two months or so. hospital stays, a move to the care center, dealing with grandma and her grief...it's been a rollercoaster. time and time again we've heard "hours to days." each time this occurs, philip's parents fly in, prepared to say goodbye again (three times since i last posted). having guests in our home is wonderful, but this kind of visit is stressful. it involves frequent trips to the hospital and/or healthcare center, and planning for meals and guests all while remaining flexible in case something happens. i really feel for my mother-in-law. i'm continually amazed at her patience and steadiness throughout this difficult time (and for my father-in-law and his support of her!)

just before leaving for iowa, philip and i stopped by to see grandpa and grandma in the care center. it was december 20: my 28th birthday and their 61st anniversary (great coincidence?) we assumed this would be our last visit with grandpa, and it was pretty special. philip had written a letter to them thanking them for being an example to us and encouraging them with scripture. i read it out loud to them, choking up a bit and feeling thankful for the time we've been able to spend with them these last three years.

i have to admit, i've been pretty stressed out about this situation which is completely out of my control. i haven't always been so hospitable or generous--i mostly feel that i want everything to be back to normal. i like my space and my routines, and having them disrupted definitely affects me and the way i act toward others. but this weekend (with my in-laws here again), i've heard a good sermon reminding me of God's forgiveness of my actions, inactions, and general sinfulness, and remembering that God has a purpose for this time. i know he's preparing me for other things in my future, and this is a time i can either use to be frustrated and selfish, or it's a time to give generously even when i feel i can't. ultimately, i am remembering that i can do nothing on my own, but only through Christ's strength.

it's a new year. i'm praying for God to transform me (again). i like january. fresh start. simplifying. low-key? i can hope. i'm grateful to take this life day by day.

also, an excellent book: sitting at the feet of rabbi jesus by ann spangler and lois tverberg. it's changing my perspective of the old testament, which hasn't always been so positive. looking forward to gleaning more from it.