it's finally friday!

Woo Hoo! Oh happy day. Praise God! (Can you tell that I am just a little bit pumped for Friday?) So today is a big day because it is laundry day. Oh yeah. It has been a long week at work for both of us but we were able to squeez in a few awesome things. For example Jared got new glasses! He looks so handsome and I can tell they make a big difference. Also, we got the living room about 90% done being painted. There are a few spots that need touched up and there is one more coat of blue paint that needs to go up but so far so good. I promise to update our picture website with some of the work we have been doing!!! Other than that I am going to be home this weekend getting things done hopefully while J is at work. Hope everyone enjoys there weekend as much as I plan on enjoying mine! <><

what is a gal to do?

So happy to say that the hallway is nearly complete. A few spots need to be touched up but pictures and art are up on the wall and my heart skips a little every time I walk through it now. So nice to see things in the house get put together. Tomorrow I am going to start painting the living room and when Jared is feeling a little more up to it he will help me finish it up since he is great at reaching all those high spots on the wall (aka I am short!)

So besides hanging things up and painting what am I up to this weekend? Well J made a great steak, squash, and risotto dinner. Yummy. Then I got my turn in the kitchen. I made chocolate chip cookies, cup cakes with yummy cheese cake icing, and I made cheese cake cup cakes with fresh fruit on top, and last but not least I made fruit salad. Lots of great food in our house tonight. Now we are enjoying some television and relaxing a bit until bed time. J has to work tomorrow at his paying job while I am going to be home working on a job that hopefully pays off big time. PAINT ah. 

Oh and I just remembered I am making a cake because I ran out of cup cake tins. Lots of food around here...more than I realized. 

J went back to work this week and I think it has been wearing him out but he is recovering well. So lots of rest and making sure to take his time eating and making sure to pay attention to his body. Life has sure sent us on a roller coster this year but I think we have handled it well. It has been such a blessing to be a part of a team. I know that having a strong foundation is the thing that has helped us get through all this. If we were not able to be honest and able to work together we would sure not have been able to handle everything that has been thrown our way. 
Well I think that is enough for tonight. Blessings and love <><

whats goin' on?

Well I guess now is as good of a time as any for a blog post about what has been going on. J is feeling much better now and is onto soft foods. Tough for a grown up to be on liquids for so long. Especially a grown up who loves to eat. So for now we are just taking things slow to make sure that he continues to heal. So prayers still welcomed!


The house: Well we have continued to paint. The hall has been primed and one coat of the pale blue is up and one more will follow and then its time to rip off the blue painters tape and enjoy the hall…which I am excited to put family photos up finally. Next is the living room. Since it will (one day) play home to our big fancy pants tv we hope, we chose to paint it navy blue. What a fun place to curl up and watch movies it will be. Next we need to pick out a coach, washer dryer, and other odds and ends that a house needs. The yard has been put on hold until we have a little more money to do what we want and to wait out some of the humid and hot weather.

The weather…oh my it is humid. It rained a lot yesterday and everything is looking so green and lush. However, it makes for some miserable walks outside. Yuck. So since J is still in the recovery stage I prefer him inside for a little longer. I know he is itching to get out and prune trees, work on the yard, and till up the garden area. But, we need him healthy so for now its painting and organizing.



Life is good just trying to make it through this super hot summer. We are really in love with our house and we love working on it. It is looking better as each day passes and now the office is more functional and less of a storage place! Yes for progress.

Love<><

now just lauren

Well the last two days have been crazy. I am finally feeling a little more human thanks to a quick trip home for a shower and food. Sleeping in the hospital with J is hard and not because it isn't comfortable...which it isn't ha. but mostly because whenever he moves or groans or anything I want to jump up and make sure nothing is wrong. Guess that is the wife gene. I do love taking care of my husband but I can not lie and say it is easy. I am blessed to have my MIL coming into town next week. So I will be able to go back to work and not worry about what he is doing at home or if he needs anything. I think now it is almost time to get settled back in for some more sleep. The goal tomorrow is to go home and let the dogs out, shower, get a few things for Jared and be back before the doctor does rounds. Love and miss you all and am struck with a feeling of wishing states were closer together so my bff could be here with me. So happy my sister is able to be here and help me not feel so overwhelmed. Do not know how I would make it with out her. Peace out cub scouts!

if i had a million dollars.

This is a Lauren and Jared post. As we sit here in the hospital trying to take Jared's mind off of pain and being uncomfortable we wanted to do something together and we thought we would blog together. So after trying to think up a topic Lauren read a few google tips and here was what she wanted to try.
If you had a million dollars to spend (besides yourself, your family, and friends) what would you spend it on?
Here are the things we came up with. The environment. The gulf is obviously a major issue but even here you look on the side of the road and people are throwing trash out everywhere. It is like people do not care about their own town. Another idea would be a program to get homeless people jobs and teach them life skills to keep their jobs. Giving money to schools so that the lunch program could go on all summer for kids who are not able to get healthy meals at home. Money for the church to expand teaching the Word of God.
Not to shabby of a list we have going. Now how do we get this on the bill in front of congress or something to get these things more money and more attention? Why does it take an oil spill to remind people that we do have a duty to take care of our land? Sad and true things people. <><

My First Night in the Hospital.

This is my first blog/entry ever, Jared.  So I've never had surgery and never stayed over in a hospital before in my whole life.  It's been interesting, I was out before they wheeled me into the OR and I awoke in the recovery room all drugged up and happy.  My doctor had a emergency right after my surgery so I had to stay in the recovery room longer than usual and that didn't matter to me.  Finally I was taken to my private room (well worth paying extra to have privacy) and set up there.  Everything was fine, I think it was like 5 or 6 in the evening.  But then around 8 I started having really bad pain and I couldn't help moan and cry.  My evening nurse Jennifer was great and she gave me a combination of drugs that really helped knock it out, yea for awesome nurses.  I wanted to sleep but sleep seemed to be elusive and wouldn't come.  So I was in between talking with Lauren, kind of watching TV, and playing on my laptop.  Again thank goodness for the Private room because Lauren is able to stay with me.  Bless my sweet wife's heart, she is so awesome, she was taking great care of me and I know she didn't get tons of sleep cause of all my noise and bright TV and such.  Finally I know Lauren got some sleep and I got another dose of morphine and finally got some sleep at 12am.  I slept till my next dose at 230-3 and slept in and out cause the nurse also came in at 4 to give me some Toroidal.  Then it was in and out and feel like I might of caught up on some kind of sleep.  All I know is that I tried to watch Willie Wonka and all I know is I awoke with the laptop still on my lap and no movie playing.  So I know everyone is thinking of me but also think of that wonderful woman that is the better part of me and I don't know how I could make it without her.  Just wanted to share my thoughts of the past day and hope today will have less pain.  Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be eating normally again. This is Jared signing off from my hospital room @ big baptist feeling great from the meds. :)

The house update.

Well I wanted to give an update on the house. So far as you know painting has taken place in the kitchen and it looks amazing if you ask me.  Ha. Now the kitchen has been loaded up with dishes and a hutch and the kitchen table. So it is nice to have one room complete and even the decorating part done. The only thing that is missing...a refrigerator. So let the tax rebate check hurry it up already. The living room has now had all the yard sale stuff kicked out. Not that the yard sale was a big hit but next time I think that I will put a free ad in the news paper and then pick a day where it is not 105 degrees. Ha. The bathroom is pretty well complete for now but what I want to do is change out the countertop and possibly add a second sink. I also want to put more of a carmel color on the walls and make it more spa like. Now on to the bigger ticket items like a couch, new bed, and the ultimate is redoing the office and getting it organized. Over all it is really wonderful because we have plenty of space and since things are pretty well unpacked and put away the house seems bigger now even. My goal next month is to get the roman shades bought and put up so that I can take down the ever so stylish sheets from the windows! <>