middlehitter

New Blog Home

2008-11-27T22:26:00.002-05:00

From now on, I won't be posting on this site anymore. Please visit www.tobinanderin.com to see the new home for our blog.

Montgomery

2008-11-25T20:23:00.003-05:00

I spent the last weekend in Montgomery with Tobin in his little apartment. It was mostly an uneventful drive there and back, except for the part where I got lost and had Tobin directing me over the phone while I was driving a stick and trying to look at my paper directions. I made it, though! After that, all was going well until the Ohio State-Michigan game, which as you all know didn't go very well for us. Tobin was happy, though. Maybe next year, guys!

Despite what I was told, there really are some very cute parts of Montgomery, and Tobin and I got to see them a bit on Saturday and Sunday. We went to the movies one evening, and we watched Bolt. It was hilarious! I loved it, and the picture was absolutely amazing. We are even more tempted to get a big screen, hi def TV now. And a Blu-ray player. Again, maybe someday.

There were Christmas decorations up and Christmas music playing...sure gets me in the mood for the holidays! We have some pictures, but I don't have the camera with me, so that will come later.

I can't wait to have my Tobin home and not in a tiny apartment miles away, microwaving pizzas for dinner.

Looooooong drive coming up tomorrow; fam, we'll be seeing you soon!

Holidays

2008-11-20T19:19:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow, ALABAMA! I've never stopped in Montgomery for any length of time. Tobin and I are going to go exploring to see what we can find; and I'm going to live on my first Air Force base for a few days. We did stop in at Eglin once to get Tobin some rank, but that's the only other AF base I've ever been on.

I have been in green belt training all week, and tomorrow is our catapult competition. We have been reducing the variability in our shots for both training weeks, so tomorrow we get to compete and then present. Our catapult is the least altered, but we were tied for first in the trial run yesterday. We'll see how tomorrow goes! It is also the company Thanksgiving lunch. Mm mm, turkey and ham!

And in a few days, I will drive up to Montgomery again, pick up Tobin, and drive on up to Michigan for Turkey Day. :)

Project Update

2008-11-17T19:46:00.007-05:00

Wow, what an awful, awful presentation. Hopefully the next stage will go better. I don't feel like I know how to fix it, but hopefully I will.

Time for ice cream and a hot bath.

Oh, and shiba puppies help everyone feel better.

Weekend #2 with Tobes

2008-11-16T18:18:00.004-05:00

Although I seem to feel every minute and hour go by oh-so-slowly during the week, it sure makes the time on the weekends I get to share with my husband feel significant . I don't want to take for granted even a minute that I have with him. I've learned how inadequate a phone is; it sure is nice to not depend on one conversation to set the tone for the rest of my night.

This weekend was fantastic once again. Jesse and Melissa finished up ASBC and came down for another weekend with us; very fun! We had such a good time with them. They headed back to Texas before lunch time on Sunday.

Also, we had a dinner with the leaders of our OCF Bible study and another couple. It was a nice evening, and I was glad to have the chance to get to know them all a little better than seeing each other once a week for a couple of hours.

Below is a picture of the beautiful sunset on the pier downtown, looking out into the bay/gulf. Also, a very recent (a few hours old!) picture of Tobin and me in the mall parking lot. He left not too long after, since he was catching a ride with another couple headed to ASBC, and they wanted to leave early. That's where getting to see each other on the weekends gets hard. I don't like saying goodbye so many times!

Tomorrow is my presentation at work...it is for two (out of five) phases of my project, and I practiced the presentation once with Tobin while I was here. He asked some great questions, which will help me prepare a little more for tomorrow evening.

Trying not to be too stressed out or overwhelmed; and missing my best friend. I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving! It will be a long trip, but well worth it to see the family for a couple of days. Hope you are all doing well!

Another Wonderful Weekend

2008-11-09T21:33:00.002-05:00

ASBC is located on a base so close to me that Tobin can come home on weekends! He came back this weekend on Friday night; I was late coming home, because I was at a "girl's night" event for the girls in our Bible study. We had an amazing weekend, getting lots of things on our to-do list done. Plenty of laundry/ironing/polishing boots and shoes, for Tobin's uniforms (he does it all himself...isn't he pretty much fantastic?). He gets his completed new uniform on Tuesday, so he won't have to wear the borrowed one anymore. Oh, and Tuesday is Veteran's Day, so he gets a day off from ASBC. He won't be coming home, since it's only a day, but I'm glad he'll catch a break. Maybe he can go exploring in Montgomery.

Ok, on Saturday, we went to an O.A.R. concert that we won tickets for from a radio program. We were reeeally low on gas, so we got off the highway early and ended up in a shady part of town, but eventually we found our way. The pictures we took of the aircraft carrier (or maybe it was a battleship??) didn't turn out because it was too dark, but I posted one of the band. It was fun, and some guy who knew Tobin sat next to us! It was another person from the military who went to IFS with T. Random, huh? We run into a person we know in Mobile, AL, and I never see someone we know, from work or church or anywhere, even when I'm shopping in good ole Walmart back home!

This week is kind of looming in front of me, since I have to finish up the next part of my project and give a presentation not this Monday but the next. Yikes!

It was hard to let Tobin go today, but I'm so thankful I'll see him again this weekend. Thanks for all of your support, family!

Oh boy

2008-11-04T08:58:00.002-05:00

We got a phone call yesterday telling Tobin to be in Montgomery, AL today for ASBC (don't remember what that stands for, except another 6 weeks of training). We've been kind of in shock since then, and he's leaving very soon to drive up there. It's a 2 hour 45 minute drive, so we are planning on seeing each other this time on the weekends, hopefully. We have that concert to go to this weekend that we won tickets for, and the next weekend is the air show that Tobin is supposed to be working. And Thanksgiving is nestled in there somewhere. Ah, the Air Force. It runs so smoothly. So anyway, just wanted to keep you all updated. Hope you have a chance to get out and vote today!

Happy Halloween

2008-11-02T21:08:00.009-05:00

What a great weekend! We started off the weekend right after work, cooking for a Halloween get together with two other couples. One of the couples we know from training, and the other was Jesse and Melissa from Rose (Jesse was one of Tobin's roommates). It was so fun! We handed out candy to trick-or-treaters (not too many though...we were surprised at how few), ate dinner, and played Cranium.

Jesse and Melissa stayed with us for the rest of the weekend, and we spent most of Saturday at the beach. We decided to hike to Fort Pickens, and actually didn't get too many pictures of the fort; we were a little more preoccupied with the 14 mile hike. It wouldn't have been too bad, but as you can see in one of these pictures, the road wasn't exactly where it was supposed to be. So we hiked through miles of sand, and that wore us out! But check out the crab we found and the huge bird that I was convinced wasn't real until it started walking! Also, we found a horseshoe crab skeleton.

Jesse bought a Crossfire, which is what the car picture is all about. It's a pretty little car! Anyway, after our hike, we had a picnic at one of the pavilions. There's a picture of us, but we're all pretty worn out, as you can see.

Sunday was (is) relaxing, just going to church, heading to the beach and the base for a quick tour, and going to Applebee's for dinner. Now the weekend is winding down, and we're looking forward to a busy week. Tobin has a stash job now from 8-1 every weekday, so he will be pretty occupied. I have a presentation to give in two weeks and have to have a major portion of my project for work done by then, so I am kinda stressing about that! I think I can do it, though, so tomorrow will really be important for me in making some headway on this project.

Let us know how everyone's Halloween went. We're looking forward to Thanksgiving pretty soon here!

Welcome Home

2008-10-28T19:12:00.010-04:00

Tobin is finally home from Colorado. I picked him up at the airport at about 7 PM on Wednesday night. He's already finished his paperwork and found out that the next training date (for API) is February 23rd. So he has a nice, long break! He'll probably have to get a stash job, but that's a good thing, since it will help to keep him busy for those few months.

On Friday night, Tobin and I headed to Skopelo's, a nice restaurant right on the edge of the bay. I wore the dress he bought for me in Italy - it was the first time I'd had an occasion to wear it! You can see the pictures of us below. Doesn't he look good in his new clothes? Thanks, Em and Dan! I was glad to have your help picking those out.

The next two pictures are of the gifts Tobin got for me in Colorado. Aren't they ADORABLE?? I love tiny shoes.

And, last but not least, we spent Sunday evening carving our pumpkins. Tobin's way better at this than I am...sadly, our pumpkins are already dying and it's not even Halloween yet! Enjoy the pictures...isn't Tobin's pumpkin SWEET?!

Oh, and this weekend, Jesse and Melissa from Rose are coming to visit us, YAY! We're excited to have them for the holiday weekend.

He Passed!!!!!!

2008-10-21T20:55:00.003-04:00

Tobin is officially DONE!!!! He completed IFS today by passing his check ride, and he's planning to head to Colorado Springs tomorrow to fly back. He's almost home!

Thanks, everybody, for all your support over the past five weeks. :) (that doesn't mean you can just forget about us now, haha!)

Rumley side, can't wait to see you for Thanksgiving!

Foiled Again

2008-10-20T17:12:00.001-04:00

The weather decided not to cooperate once again. All flights were canceled for today. T's check ride is rescheduled for tomorrow. I'll let you know how that goes. Please keep him in your prayers!

Check Ride

2008-10-17T20:12:00.002-04:00

Friday's flight went well, so on Monday, Tobin has his final check ride and he is DONE!!!! We are slightly concerned about the weather; the forecast calls for a slight chance of rain that day. I really hope that isn't the case. He's almost home!

My green belt training week is over (the first one), and I won't have the second for a couple more months, as we get going on our assigned projects. I should be an official green belt in about eight months!

This weekend should be fun. We have our Corporate Cup Games, a YMCA sponsored event where local businesses compete against each other in games and races. I'll be piloting a raft or something like that....I didn't sign up for it, kinda got roped in, but it'll be a good time. And on Sunday, another military wife and I are meeting to make a dessert for a dinner the captain's wife is putting together for us pre-API/API couples. (API is Tobin's next training assignment) I'm excited to see Ashley again, since she headed off to IFS with her husband about 3 weeks before Tobin left, and I haven't seen her since she left.

How's everybody else doing? Sorry the weather's so cold up north. Are all the pretty fall leaves out yet? That's one thing I miss; not sure when any of the trees turn colors down here. About the only thing my trees are losing is their branches. They're a tad on the rotten side.

I hope to have good news for you all on Monday!

Good News!

2008-10-16T19:02:00.002-04:00

I had no idea, but Tobin double-turned again today! :) He also had a quiz. If he doesn't need any extra practice flying, he will just have two flights left, the 605 on Friday and the check ride on Monday! I am SO excited! I wasn't expecting to hear that he had flown twice today, but I am so glad he did.

Work is going well, and I am staying busy. This weekend, I was dragged into filling in for someone at our company games, so I will be at least piloting a raft on Saturday. I was also supposed to swim for the lady who can't be there, but I told them I would drown, so hopefully I don't have to do that.

Our company has both 6Sigma green belts and black belts, and I am going throught the green belt training. It's manufacturing lean stuff, not office lean stuff, in my case. I am manufacturing support, so for my project I will be working on reducing scrap (we manufacture membrane, so the rolls produce a lot of scrap...it's my job to figure out how to reduce that scrap for a specific belt/process).

How's that weather up north? Are you still getting summer-warm temps? We're definitely in the 80's still, but occasionally it cools down to the 50's at night. Hoepfully, T and I will still have a few visits to the beach left when he gets back. Later!

Another Solo!

2008-10-15T21:26:00.003-04:00

Tobin did fly twice today. The second flight was another solo! He did well on both flights. We think he just has one flight tomorrow...but that means just five flights left in all, including the check ride. I'm hoping for at least one more double-turn, so that he gets done by Tuesday of next week. The weather looks ok out there, as long as the wind stays down. Another group came in a couple of days ago, so hopefully that will be good for expediting T's group's flights.

As for me, I'm in 6Sigma green belt training all week for work, trying to fit in my other projects around that training. It's interesting, and I'm glad to be staying busy.

There's your quick update! Let me know how you all are doing.

28 days and counting

2008-10-14T21:04:00.002-04:00

Up, anyway. I don't really have a countdown going anywhere, since I don't know when Tobin will be coming back. But it's officially been four weeks now...working on day #29. I'm ready for it to be over.

We got some disappointing news today. The weather decided to act up; Tobin was scheduled for a double-turn, but both his flights were cancelled. Everyone's were, for the entire day. The guys have had a four-day weekend so far, and not of their own choice. But, tomorrow Tobin is scheduled to double-turn again, which is great! He has seven flights left. Please keep him in your prayers!

Family Weekend

2008-10-07T18:22:00.005-04:00

This past weekend, Mom, Zach, Elyse, and Emily came to visit me! They drove down on Thursday and left Monday morning. It was so great to see them all! Emily had never seen my house before, so I got to show her around where we live now. :) It was a surprise to me that Emily was even there; Mom kept it a secret from me until she rang the doorbell of my house. Isn't she wonderful???!!

Anyway, we spent a few days together, and the pictures below are from those few days.

#1: Emily and I at the park, sporting our shades. (Sorry, you northerners, it still gets in the mid 80's during the day...we even hit the beach!)
#2: A cool action shot of Zilla catching the football. If you click on the picture, you can see the ball in the air still. He was playing catch with another kid from the park.
#3: Mom and I finished up the puzzle T and I have been working on forever. Guess we needed her help or we never would have finished it!
#4: What we saw at park #2 that we visited. Yes, those are two guys dressed up like knights, fighting each other. One was using a road sign as a shield. Hmm.
#5: A MOVIE of two guys dressed up as knights fighting each other. Doesn't get better than this, folks.

Thanks for coming to see me, fam! I missed you, DadDanLukeLaceyGraceCalebAvaBetsey! Hope to see you for Thanksgiving.

September 27, 2008

2008-09-30T18:53:00.005-04:00

Congratulations, Brian and Angela Sherman!

This past weekend, I made a trip up to Ohio for one of Tobin's friend's wedding. Tobin couldn't go because of IFS, so Jacque flew to Pensacola so she could drive up with me to Ohio. I was so glad I didn't have to drive alone! We made it in about 12 hours, not counting stops.

Picture #1: Mr. and Mrs. Brian and Angela Sherman
Picture #2: The ceremony was at a Catholic church. Isn't it beautiful?
Picture #3: Mike and Jacque, ready for the wedding.
Picture #4: Sherman really likes Top Gun, so they played that theme music while the wedding party walked in to the reception, and they all were wearing aviators. :)
Picture #5: Tobin went to Pike's Peak, Garden of the Gods, and some caves this past weekend. Isn't the scenery just beautiful?
Picture #6: My guy. He's pretty good looking, too.

Walking on the Beach

2008-09-22T19:11:00.006-04:00

This week, I am attending AutoCAD classes downtown instead of going in to work. So, after class today, I went to the beach and took a hike towards Fort Pickens. That's a seven-mile hike one way, so I didn't make it (I'd be out there all night!) all the way, but it was a beautiful walk anyway. I saw little fish in some puddles, a crab, pelicans, and seagulls. The road that used to go to the fort was ruined in one of the hurricanes, so no cars are allowed back in the sand. However, an SUV passed me while I was out there; and, I walked by a white truck labeled "explosives" all over. Hm.

#1 : Here's the "road"...it gets easier later on in the hike:

#2 : Me walkin'.

#3 : At the end of the walk. Pretty sky!

There's a couple of people from work taking the AutoCAD classes with me. They are amazing ladies, very fun to hang out with! However, I think the class itself might be a waste of my time. I have learned a couple of things, and it's only the first day...but I thought I might be challenged a little more than I was.

Tobin had his dollar flight today! It was his first flight at IFS!! He got to fly, land, and perform some touch-and-go's (go in to land, touch your wheels to the ground, and take off again) as well as some simple maneuvers. Apparently, he did REALLY WELL!! :) I am so proud of him! His ground school practice test is this Friday, and the final test is on Monday. After that, it's mainly flying for him. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers!

No rain and a little college football

2008-09-20T17:25:00.007-04:00

The cars got baths today. It was supposed to rain, but it was beautiful all day. I ran a lot of errands, then washed the cars.

The bug got washed, too, but I didn't have pictures of that.

While I was at the post office today, there was a super long line. There was a guy waiting because something got messed up with his mailbox, and he was irate! He acted like a little kid, accusing some girl of cutting in line (which she didn't), ranting while he was in line, then verbally attacking the lady he finally got to speak to while she tried to settle him down. Some people are babies, I swear. I waited in line, too, and got my package sent, and I didn't cry even once! Sheesh.

This weekend, I am trying to fill every possible second with activity, so I am hoping that tomorrow it doesn't rain, cuz then that means I have to do housework to stay busy; and it kinda feels like I'm in jail when that happens. I mean, the showers need cleaning...but who wants to really do that? Instead, I want to go hiking tomorrow down at the beach. Hope it stays nice out! Did you know Michigan doesn't play this weekend? I may have to try to watch Ohio State get beat again, though. Sure was fun last weekend! :) Ha, I had to make sure T wasn't watching that one, because I didn't want him to be in a bad mood.

Next week, I don't go into work even once! I have training classes downtown M-Th, then I'm off Friday to drive back to Ohio for a wedding. That weekend, I'm with the Bolton side; the following weekend, some of the Rumleys (Mom and the kids) are coming to see me! :)

Tweny-five(ish) more days until my baby comes home!

IFS

2008-09-15T21:24:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow morning, I drop Tobin off at the airport for his flight to the IFS training camp. He'll begin with ground school, which I've heard keeps the guys pretty busy. Then he gets to fly! He'll learn maneuvers and how to take-off and land. The whole thing lasts about six weeks. It will be a great experience for him.

We spent this evening getting his bags packed. He has the coolest flight jacket, I will post pictures of him in it when he is in full uniform. Oh, and he got a pair of sunglasses...I'm not quite sure if they are aviators or not, but it's good that he got them. He lost the last pair in the ocean this past weekend! He'll be keeping me updated on what goes on at IFS, but only when he has free time. I'll try to remember to post. He'll have his laptop with him if you want to email him!

Company Picnic

2008-09-06T20:45:00.008-04:00

It was a beautiful, sunshiney Saturday today, the perfect day for Pall's company picnic. We went to Big Kahuna's water park; all we had to pay were the parking fee, the tolls, and the gas to get there. It was a fun day! There was a free lunch as well. We mostly took advantage of the free ice cream, though. I think my grand total was three ice cream sandwiches and one orange dreamsicle. Good grief, it's a wonder I'm not three hundred pounds! Don't worry, we worked it off (or we'll say we did). We went down lots of slides...went in an itty-bitty wave pool...rode the rapids...watched the boogie boarders take on the half-pipe...and got lost lots and lots of times. :)

Here's us. Of course, I'm eating.

Handsome, isn't he?

That's our day in a nutshell! We got a little burnt, but I think it will turn into a tan. Now, if we can just keep from getting blown away by Ike, we'll be in good shape!

Sorry about all the crazy formatting. For some reason, blogger is being a pain in the butt.

Another Hurricane Gone

2008-09-02T18:51:00.008-04:00

So far, we've been missing the worst of these storms during the hurricane season. We've seen some rain and the wind has been strong at times, but really there hasn't been any damage to speak of. Hurricane Gustav gave us a scare, but in the end he missed us by a long ways. I'd say that God has been taking good care of us, but then what does that mean for the other people who have been in the brunt of the storm? This is one of those things you don't really want to pray doesn't hit you, because then you're praying that it hits lots of other people. But we're thankful, nonetheless, that we missed the worst of it. Although I still want to see what one is like someday.

Not too much has been going on here. For Labor Day, our canoeing/kayaking plan was shot (that would be when the hurricane decided to hit land). So we turned to other means of entertainment. Here's our first fire in our fireplace!

We even cooked dinner on it. "We" being Tobin. Mm mm.

And look what followed Tobin into the house last night! Isn't he cute? I think Tobin may have killed him accidentally, though, when he let the toad back outside. It hit the wall kind of hard. Whoopsie.

I had a sorta crappy picture of our new coffee table, but blogger won't let me post it. Sorry. I'll try again later. We're looking forward to this weekend, which is the company picnic for Pall. We'll be at a water park for most of the day. :) Yay free slides! I'll post about that later. Bye!

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

2008-08-30T08:47:00.004-04:00

Guess what I got last week at work?

Business cards! Isn't that cool? I feel so official now. :)

We've got about two and a half weeks until Tobin leaves for training in Colorado. Until then, he reports for muster and has lots of medical visits (dental, vision, various physicals) and some briefings to attend. Yesterday was a PT test, which he did great in. You have to run a mile and a half, do pushups for a minute, and do situps for a minute. There's a time or number to beat in each.

We have been watching Hurricane Gustav closely at work, and if it gets bad, Tobin will have to evacuate with the rest of the military. If Pall closes, I will evacuate with him. If not, I'll stick around. But it's not likely the military will evacuate unless absolutely necessary. Right now, it looks like Gustav will hit Louisiana and head west, so we're ok. Hanna is right behind Gustav, however, and there are two more depressions out in the Atlantic. This hurricane stuff is a little hard to get used to. Check out the National Hurricane Center for the best info. It's a pretty neat site.

We get a long weekend thanks to Labor Day! We are thinking about renting a canoe or kayak for the day. Better head to breakfast. Keep in touch!

Fay

2008-08-23T10:06:00.004-04:00

We're expecting some rain soon! Today and Sunday is when we should get the brunt of it. I don't think we will get enough for closing any schools or businesses, but it will be our first time going through a tropical storm, so I'm excited! We have water and canned foods just in case, although we didn't really go out and prepare for anything, it was just what we had on hand. We're going for a bike ride soon so we get some time outside before we get stuck indoors.

To answer your questions from the previous post: the Yaris is a four-door, and it's an '08. Here's a video I forgot to post earlier:

There are ginormous bugs down here. Yikes. Here's one example, although the picture doesn't do him justice. When he crawled out while I was putting stuff in the recycling box, he scared the stuffin out of me. He's taller than me, I think.

And last but not least, we have the final news about Tobin's training. He will begin on September 17th with IFS, and the S stands for screening, not school like I said before. IFS is in Pueblo, CO, and it lasts for about seven weeks. After IFS, he has some time off before API (Aviation Preflight Indoctrination) starts; API should last about eight weeks, and it is in Pensacola. Primary is after API, also in Pensacola, and we're not sure how long that lasts, but there will be time off between API and Primary as well. So...it's GREAT that he is finally going to be starting, and that he gets to fly planes so soon; but I think seven weeks is an awfully long time. We know Jesse (one of Tobin's old roommates) went through IFS in about three or four weeks, though; so there's a possibility it won't take all seven weeks. And we know T will be stationed here in Pensacola for at the least two years, maybe more.

Getting ready for rain! Keep in touch.

Reporting and Car Shopping

2008-08-17T19:57:00.005-04:00

We celebrated Tobin reporting on Thursday night with some red velvet cake, balloons, and streamers. It was the first time I'd made the cake, so the frosting didn't really turn out (you can see frosting running down the sides because it's not very firm). Tobin helped me out with frosting it. Mmm, man that frosting's good. Lots of cream cheese.

So, on Friday, T reported at the base. It didn't start out so well. He drove my car, and the security guard wouldn't let him on base at first because the windshield was cracked. T let him know he was going on base today, he had to report. So, the next half hour/hour was spent getting a vehicle pass; during the course of getting it, T found out my insurance card was expired and had to have the 'rents insurance company fax him a current card. Arg. Finally, he got on base.

He spent a lot of time asking where to go, since his orders didn't say, but got to the right place eventually. There was lots of paperwork and some powerpoint presentations, but we have a better idea of what to expect day to day. He'll start with IFS training in a month or so, which is Introductory Flight School. We're excited to not be in the dark so much anymore, and we'll find out more next week after T gets a medical exam and begins reporting to muster every morning at 7:30.

AND, over the weekend, we spent a long day car shopping and came home with this little cutie:

He's a Toyota Yaris, and his name is Petrie. :) Since we will be down to just the Prizm after we return the bug to Ohio, we needed a reliable car for T to drive to work every day in. He has an hour round trip, depending on traffic, so we made the decision to go ahead and get this car. It's a stick, so it takes some getting used to for me. I love it, though! We'll let you know more as we figure some more things out in the next week. Later.

Watchin' the Olympics...

2008-08-13T21:27:00.002-04:00

Tobin starts on Friday! It's so exciting, I can't wait to see where he goes first and what training he will be doing. We've been assuming all along that he will do the classroom stuff first, but we aren't too sure of anything. We'll find out in a couple of short days!

Also, we think we have found a church we really like. It's much larger than either of the churches we used to go to back home, which takes some getting used to...but we love the small group we have been going to. There are lots of couples our age, and the group is very active in organizing activities and ministries.

Work is going well for me. I am working on a project that costs waaaay more than anything else I've ever worked on...yikes! I sure have a lot to learn still, too. I've heard it takes six months to really get adjusted to a new job. So, in a little more than four months, maybe things won't be so overwhelming!

Aaaaaand, we are looking for a car now as well. We are basically replacing the truck for the near future. Any bright ideas on what car to get? Gas savers would be great...but it has to be cute, too. ;)

Videos of Our House!

2008-08-08T18:14:00.009-04:00

Finally, I got around to posting the pictures (videos) of the house! I was attempting to put them on the website, but it doesn't like my password for some reason, so you get to see it on the blog instead. :)

First, we have the living room...the sofa is finished and, as you can see, the couch is not. Check out our wedding picture on the wall!

Second, we have the kitchen. Say hi to Tobin! He's working on that unfinished couch.

Next is the guest bedroom. It's ready for occupants. Don't worry, there'll be pillows in those empty cases when you get here.

Now we have the master bedroom. That's our new comforter; we still need to get drapes, that sun gets BRIGHT.

Followed by the master bath, with new shower curtain and candles and towels!

Then, finally, the study.

We love our new house! Tobin starts work in a week, and I'm about a month and a half into my job. Oh, here's a final video of the completed couch (doesn't he work fast)! We'll have new throw pillows for it soon. Hope you enjoyed! Sorry for those of you with dial-up, this wasn't a very friendly post.

Congratulations, Jaymi and Leigh!

2008-07-28T19:23:00.009-04:00

This weekend, Tobin and I flew into Chicago for my friend Jaymi's wedding. It was a busy, fun weekend! Here we are, ready for the wedding! I was one of Jaymi's bridesmaids (bridesmatron, we decided).

Here I am with the beautiful bride! It was such an amazing wedding. I loved it; and I only choked up once. :)

Me and the little flower girl, Mackenzie. She was a sweetheart.

My incredible friend, Jaymi. Congratulations, Jaymi and Leigh! You guys are going to do great.

And here are the promised pictures of Tobin's finished product: our re-upholstered sofa!

Isn't he amazing? Here we are trying it out.

Blue Angels

2008-07-14T20:14:00.004-04:00

This weekend, Tobin's parents came down to visit us. It was a great weekend. Saturday, we planned on going to the beach to watch the Blue Angles fly. The weather had other plans, however. We spent a couple of hours in traffic getting onto the beach, only to have rain start pouring down and to hear that the show was being delayed. We drove around the island a bit, and saw the alien house; then we heard the show was being canceled. By that time, we were in another traffic jam for another couple of hours. Haha, we finally got home and got dried off; the next day, we found out the show was rescheduled for that day. We headed to the beach again (no traffic this time), and spent a few hours out in the sun before the show began. We were relatively unburnt, too! Amazing. The show was awesome. Below is a video of the pre-Angels planes flying in formation. Above is Fat Albert, a troop transport.

The best part of the show was undoubtedly the Angels, however. They were so fast and loud! They scared the crowd a couple of times, coming out of nowhere and zooming over our heads. They also flew in formation, only 18 inches away from each other, right past us. It was incredible!

Riley came down as well, Bill and Stacie's dog. Just made me want a dog of my own even more! The weekend turned out very well. Thanks for coming to visit, Mike and Jacque! And since we traded cars with them, we'll have to see them again sometime soon. It's so nice to have the house full of people. We won't know what to do next weekend with no one here to see us! :)

Work is going very well for me, and Tobin is busy at the house. We are both healthy and having a blast in our new home. We're finally getting settled, too. The next post, maybe I'll have pictures to show of our "new" furniture! Later.

Moving Truck

2008-07-09T21:17:00.002-04:00

OUR MOVING TRUCK ARRIVED!!!! Tobin called me around 9 this morning while I was at work and let me know the truck was coming. All of our stuff is here now and we are finally getting to unpack! The house is filling up quickly. It was like Christmas, getting to unpack all of the wedding presents...finally! Wish you could have seen all the stuff, Mom and Dad, when you were down here. Guess you'll have to come visit again ;) .

Speaking of which, we had a wonderful time when my parents and little siblings came to visit. Thanks for coming and breaking in the guest bedroom! We loved having you. I can't wait for our next group this weekend. Tobin's parents are coming down...and I think Riley's coming too (a black lab and something else mix, for those who don't know).

I'll try to post pictures sometime soon once we get all of our things settled and arranged. :) I'm very excited!

Luke....you'd be proud, I'm learning a bunch of geeky computer-technical stuff at work that I never knew. Yikes, it's complicated! But I'm learning. Maybe one day I'll catch up to you...

Oh yeah, and at work, my official title is Manufacturing Engineer. I'm also the Vision System Specialist...which is kind of funny since I don't know much of anything about it yet. But someday I will!

Tobin is doing really well. He is taking on a re-upholstering job with our couch and sofa to make them pretty. That and getting our things arranged will help keep him busy on the days when I'm gone all day at work.

That's all for now! Come see us.

Happy Fourth of July!

2008-07-02T21:22:00.002-04:00

Have a great holiday, everyone! I know we will. I am definitely looking forward to my first long weekend, and we are getting excited about our visitors coming this weekend!!!! :) Also, my first paycheck comes tomorrow, which we could really use about now.

Don't forget to come visit.

Almost a Whole Week

2008-06-26T19:46:00.002-04:00

I have worked the past two days out on the factory floor at two different locations. Yesterday was the Mixer station, and today was the Melt-Blown-Media belt. I helped at the end of the line, taking rolls off and wrapping them in plastic. I learned a lot, including safety measures on the line, like pads under the rollers that turn the machines off if stepped on. I accidentally stepped on one. Yeah. The whole line shut down. The guys were running around like ants. It ended up being ok, but a whole roll had to be tossed out, because while the rollers stop, the product being blown onto the fabric doesn't stop. So, there was a major build-up of resin on the fabric that made the roll really lumpy. Anyways, apparently only engineers have ever tripped the alarm by stepping on the mats. Yup. Way to uphold tradition, Erin!

Anyway, they made fun of me a lot; lol, they're very good natured and no one was upset, so it worked out well. Tomorrow I work in Windup, which I hear is very slow; so I hope I like the people! :)

We got a couch and sofa today! YAY! The truck has not arrived yet with all of our stuff, but Tobin found a deal online so we can finally sit somewhere. Our living room looks a lot better now! The furniture is in great condition, but the fabric is not our favorite, so we will try our hand at re-upholstering.

Mom and Dad are coming to visit me! I'm very excited. If everything falls through, we will at least meet halfway in Alabama for a picnic; but they might even make it all the way down to our new house. :)

More to come. Later!

Hurrying

2008-06-25T07:35:00.003-04:00

Quick update, since I have to go to work in a few minutes.

Tobin and I are doing very well. We still have no furniture, the moving truck is supposed to arrive after the holiday weekend, around July 7th. We are disappointed that it is not arriving sooner, but we are making do with an air mattress and what we had in our cars.

My first day of work was this Monday. It went fine, I was in a conference room all day going through training and paperwork. Yesterday, I spent the beginning of the morning getting drug tested and buying steel-toed shoes, then I went into the office. I had a long meeting with my boss, where I was assigned a scavenger hunt that I have to finish in a couple of weeks. It should be fun, I have to find out a lot of things about people and machines (like John Henry's full name and the serial number of a machine in a certain bay). I also have to work a full day with five different places on the floor. My first day of that is today, which is why I'm going in to work at 7. Tomorrow I start at 5:45. I get off early, though! :) I also have to have lunch with four different guys in my department, to get to know them a little better as well.

Tobin is trying to stay busy here at home, he is doing so much around the house! Lots of repairs and other things we needed done.

Oh, last thing...we saw a tornado inland while we were out on the island at the beach! Later I found out it was a water spout and didn't hit land...but we sure thought it did! Crazy Florida weather...

Check out our new home!

2008-06-19T23:07:00.001-04:00

www.tobinanderin.com

We're on our way...

2008-06-10T19:06:00.002-04:00

Had the final move-out inspection with Deanna, and we are all packed up! We will be completing some last-minute errands tonight and tomorrow morning before we hit the road. First stop, the Rumley side, second stop, the Bolton side, and one final stop in the Haute before the long haul to Florida.

We chose our house today! We were deciding between two different houses with very similar floor plans, but with a variety of ups and downs. One house I had walked through already, but the other neither of us had seen. However, we did end up going with the house we haven't seen yet. Hope nothing awful surprises us! :) If so, it's only temporary, right?

So, we'll see some of you soon, and for those we don't see, come visit us in Florida!

Graduates and Italy updates

2008-06-03T16:02:00.003-04:00

This is at the Senoir Soiree the night before Tobin and I graduated.

Also, I started to watch T's game in Italy...but then it froze! The part I saw, though, showed Rose was a lot better than the Italian guys. Tobin contacted me later...apparently Rose won 89-0. :)

Mom came to visit me, which was GREAT, it was so lonely here with everyone gone! I am now mostly packed...thanks, Mom! She headed home today, so I am getting some cleaning done. Highlights from the trip: packing with Mom, baseball with Zach, and getting my makeup done by Elyse! (I wore it to work too!)

Tobin comes home really late tonight or early tomorrow. :)

2008-05-31T23:00:00.000-04:00

Tobin's football game can be watched by going to this website!!! It's broadcast live. That's 12 Eastern time.

Also, the team had to practice on the hotel lawn today. They were in full pads and uniforms, dodging trees and such. Two weddings happened as well, and the wedding parties took photos with the boys. :)

There's your update. Love!

:)

2008-05-30T23:46:00.006-04:00

For those of you I haven't emailed, I have a job now in Florida! I get the details in a package in a few days, but I have already accepted the offer. I'm very excited!

Tobin is doing great in Italy. He sent me a picture today of him in San Di Belvedere.

It's storming in the Haute. It's nasty outside right now. Hopefully we don't lose electricity! I'll update more later.

New Kinds of Days

2008-05-28T17:05:00.002-04:00

Wow, this is very strange. I'm not used to living in a house with no other people. It's usually so full of me and my roommate's things, and there is either always someone here or someone next door to talk to. I'm glad I'm only here alone for one more week, or I might go nuts. Also, I may have gone home for the last time before moving to Florida. It was hard to drive away today! Hopefully we will have time for visiting up north, especially on holidays.

Tobin is in Italy! He arrived safely in Rome and has had some time for exploring already before the rest of his team arrived. He said his phone does not work, so contact will be pretty limited until he comes back. He told me the flights weren't very fun, since he wasn't feeling well the whole time. It's kind of my fault he's sick; I hope that doesn't last too long! Flying is no fun with stuffy sinuses. My last update from him was yesterday, so he is probably well into a day of touring today; I will let you all know if anything new comes my way.

Deanna found out I was married today. She tried to make me feel guilty about not telling her! Some people... Anyway, I am back in this lovely town again for a couple more weeks. Love you guys!

T's in Madrid!

2008-05-26T23:12:00.003-04:00

Finally, graduation day arrived! Tobin and I are officially degreed and ready to move on to the next step in our lives. I am extremely happy to be done, and there are a lot of big things happening right now. I recently had an interview in Florida, and I find out this week whether or not I will get an offer from that company. I also should find out soon whether or not I will be getting an interview for another job entirely. This second job is actually the one I am most interested in, but I may not hear back from them.

Currently, T is in Italy (almost....he should be in Madrid by now), where he gets to play football one more time with his college team! It's a great opportunity for him, which is what I tell myself when ten days without him seems like forever. I got to spend the last half of this weekend with my family in Michigan and Portage. Since it might be one of the last times I will get to see them before the big move, I'm really glad I was able to make it. The rest of the time that T is in Italy, I will be working/packing/cleaning back in Indiana. After the 13th, we will be moving somewhere. Maybe by then we'll even know where.

We may have found a house in Florida! Tobin hasn't actually seen it yet, so nothing's certain, but it's exciting to be looking! We also have started looking at dog breeds, even though getting a dog is probably still a while away.

I'll let you all know what happens with the two companies I am waiting on and anything else that comes up in the near future (and any updates from Italy). Later!

Odds and Ends

2008-04-26T15:07:00.010-04:00

SPRING BREAK

Here's some belated photos of T and I on spring break in Florida:

This was taken outside an abandoned ranger's station on the beach island (peninsula?). This was during a loooong walk down the beach on a search for some old fort ruins. We didn't make it all the way, although we walked (and ran a bit) about 4 1/2 miles before we turned back. There was a storm brewing too; maybe we'll get a chance to bike/hike out there once we move.

Here is some beach wildlife. Portuguese Man o' War (s). Men o' War. Whatever. We found lots during our time on the beach that day, even bigger ones but these are the ones we got pictures of. Going in the water seemed risky!

Dude, it's a fort! This one was actually on the Naval Air Station (the base where Tobin will be training). It was so cool, with a drawbridge and moat and cannons and everything.

Inside the fort. If you look closely, you can see the Tobin ghost.

Airplanes! There is a lovely little museum on the base as well, where we spent a good few hours one day.

MIL BALL

On Saturday we had the military ball, where ROTC seniors were honored and a nice dinner was served, followed by a dance. It was a nice evening.

T and I.

Our table, minus T the photographer.

ART

Behold, my art. I don't know why I ever went into engineering. Look at this raw talent.

GRE results

2008-04-22T15:01:00.002-04:00

I took the GRE today, starting just before noon. The essay sections went quickly, I didn't take the whole time allotted for those. Then I took the rest of the test and took all of the time on those parts. I got my unofficial scores (everything but the essay results), and I scored above what I needed to for the PAQ application. Funny thing is, I scored the same as what I did on the SAT the first time I took it, but I reversed my verbal and quantitative scores. Guess that means I'm finally better at math, but my verbal skills are going downhill. Thanks to good ole engineering, haha.

I'm glad I got the score I needed, and I hope to hear from the PAQ people down in Florida soon. I've been calling, but I don't have any updates right now. Love y'all, see you later!

Results

2008-04-20T21:03:00.006-04:00

We finished 33rd out of 60 teams. Apparently, only 47 even passed spec tests on Friday. As mentioned in the previous post, we completed the first mission successfully this morning. The second mission attempt, which we flew at a weight of 23 pounds (all calculations were initially performed at 16 pounds...max), was flying but was very unwieldy (kind of uncontrollable when it had to turn 360 degrees), so it was landed with minimal damage. The team is heading home now.

Mission Successful

2008-04-20T13:43:00.002-04:00

My plane took off, made two laps in about three minutes, and landed WITHOUT a crash this morning! That is the first mission. The second (loaded) will be attempted later on today. :)

I am very excited...I'll let you all know what happens when I hear further from my team. Love y'all!

Meanwhile, in Wichita, KS:

2008-04-19T21:40:00.000-04:00

The following is an email from our senior design group leader:

"This morning started off with a very beautiful day. The sun was shining and there was little to no wind. Initially we watched several teams make their first flights and enjoyed our time because there are a maximum of 5 flight attempts and we weren’t in a huge rush to take them.

Flight attempt number one:
Once we made it to the runway, we turned on the motor and the plane moved backward. This was the result of wires from the motor to the battery being switched after the final test flight. The fix took approximately 30 minutes to complete as well as a few other very minor problems that we encountered.

Flight attempt number two:
With the 20x15 propeller attached we attempted the delivery mission. The plane did not make the takeoff distance, and Steve was unable to maintain control of the airplane during the rollout and we sheared off the landing gear and broke a few formers forward of the battery pack. The propeller was also broken in the process. Repairs took approximately 45 minutes.

Flight attempt number three:
With the 24x12 propeller attached, we again attempted the delivery mission. We got off the ground in the allotted space, but Steve was expecting to be holding down elevator and pushed the plane back down onto the runway after the 75 ft mark. This invalidated that takeoff, but he landed the plane successfully and brought it around for a second takeoff. This time takeoff went very smoothly and Steve was able to complete two laps of the course. However there was a crosswind and the plane stalled as he brought it in for landing. The firewall broke off, the horizontal tail broke, the elevator and rudder came loose and there was other miscellaneous damage to the plane. We are about to begin repairs and we should be making our 4th attempt early in the morning."

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! Yeah, go plane!

In which I survive an earthquake...

2008-04-18T09:44:00.002-04:00

T and I were woken up this morning at around 5:30 due to tremors from an earthquake that lasted about 20 seconds. An earthquake in Indiana??!! We got up and found two of T's roommates also awake; one of them found, just a few minutes later, a site online that claimed it was an earthquake of a 5.2 magnitude. It wasn't until later this morning (when normal ppl wake up) that I found a site that corroborated that info. Apparently it was an earthquake in West Salem, IL that was felt all over IN as well.

Beyond that excitement, there are a couple of other things going on as well. I am taking the GRE on Tuesday, so I'm studying a bit for that now. Also, I have another job opportunity that I am in the middle of applying for. It's pretty cool, but I don't want to get my hopes up yet. T is going to be gone most of the weekend for a Feild Traning exercise.

See you all later, hopefully soon. (May 10th, at least)

DBF Competition this Weekend!

2008-04-16T14:56:00.002-04:00

Our senior design project culminates this weekend. The Design, Build, Fly competition in Wichita, Kansas is this weekend, April 18th-20th. Our team is leaving at noon tomorrow to drive down there. I'm not going because I need to work this weekend, but I'm feeling all the nervous butterflies that everyone else is, too. In fact, I'm kind of sick to my stomach. I hope my batteries don't blow up, and I hope the stability issues on the plane are fixed, and I hope she flies beautifully and comes back in one piece so that we can show her off to the underclassmen and give them some pointers/help for their design project next year.

I never want to work with another battery pack as long as I live, either. There have been too many sparks, short circuits, weight issues, and hissing batteries. Everything should hypothetically work fine in the competition, though. :) Go batteries, go!

As for everything else: still working on finding a job; Tobin is doing GREAT; I'll probably be working in TH until June 13th, when we have to be out of the rental house; and I think that's it.

FE Tomorrow

2008-04-11T23:23:00.002-04:00

We (almost all the seniors at Rose) have the FE exam tomorrow. It's an 8 hour exam required for engineers to pass if they want to become professional engineers (basically). Our two houses will be headed to Rose at 7ish tomorrow morning.

Also, the plane flew today! It still has instability issues but we are still excited with the progress; and this time it didn't crash, it just landed kind of hard.

Rough Times at Rose

2008-04-10T08:12:00.005-04:00

Recently, there have been three separate car accidents involving four Rose-Hulman students, and two of those students have died (one had just graduated last November). The other two are seriously injured and are in hospitals recovering, both with head injuries as well as other injuries. Two of the students were on the football team and two were on the swimming team. It's been a shock, considering that I don't remember anything like this happening in all four years at Rose, and now in a span of seven weeks, four Rose kids have been in accidents. Although I was not close to any of the students involved in the accidents, many of my friends were and are having a tough time right now. Buses from Rose will be attending the funerals, taking any students who want to go. One of the funerals is in Indiana, and the other is in Texas.

Well, if you read the last post you know we had a not-so-successful first flight attempt in the old version of our DBF plane. We re-analyzed the plane and found that the tail setting angle, which had been calculated at 4 degrees, was built in the wrong direction. Basically, the tail was set 8 degrees off. This really affected the flight capabilities, allowing for take-off but not providing the moment needed to pull the nose down once the aircraft left the ground. Also, the plane was modeled in a simulator and, although it would now takeoff and fly in its unloaded configuration, it would not in the loaded configuration. So we made a change: biplane. Also, the area of the nose was so big that it reduced the effective area of the propeller quite a bit, so we made a change there as well. You can see the differences in tail setting angle, surface area of the nose, and added wing in the photo below:

The colorful tail and wing are not covered yet. Our second flight test will (hopefully) be tomorrow.

Job update: the company that I was excited about that I interviewed with over break will probably not be giving me a job offer since they decided to give an offer to another candidate first. I'm upset about it because it feels like discrimination. They asked me how long T would be stationed in the area, and their response to my answer was the only negative aspect of the whole interview. I'm currenlty looking at other opportunities. On the positive side, we found a house we want to rent and we are looking into applying for it.

A Few Long Days Later...

2008-03-27T08:52:00.007-04:00

The time I have spent on DBF has increased significantly in the past few days. After a superlong work day on Tuesday (that included a fireworks show when the battery wires got crossed - one fuse down) and a few more hours on Wednesday, our plane was ready for a taxi/flight test! Here's a picture of her, skin on and ready to go, and the inside of the fuselage with some wiring (that hooks up my motor and prop to my batteries!!).

We took her outside to the parking lot for her taxi test, and she performed beautifully! I have a video of it on my phone, so when I am home next I will have to show you all.

Finally, we were ready for a flight test. 10 of us loaded into cars and drove out to the Brazil airport. Unfortunately, a cropduster was using the runway and we had to wait for our turn to use the airstrip. We did get to see the cropduster land and take off multiple times, and we saw the air rescue helicopter come in and land. After three hours of waiting, the guys filling the cropduster with his fertilizer told us they would be done about 4:30. I had to work at 5, however, and it was a 20-30 minute drive back, so several of us had to leave. While we were gone, the runway finally opened up. Our team got the plane lined up on the runway and opened up the throttle. In the competition, our runway is limited to 75 feet. Our plane (shown in the next picture) took off in about 40. :) !!! Way to go, team!

Only a few seconds later....

She took a nose dive almost as soon as our pilot adjusted the control surfaces. It seems to be an instability issue with the plane, or perhaps she stalled because the take-off angle was too steep. We will be problem-solving more today to fix her. The competition is April 18th.

All in all, I'm very excited that she took off! That means the prop/batteries/motor are all working as we hoped. However, there are major problems to fix and all that work we just completed will have to be done again. This is a good step in the right direction, however, and I'll keep you posted as we near competition time. The competition will be held in Wichita, KS.

Also, T and I are heading to Florida on Sunday for break. We will be interviewing, house shopping, and relaxing. I also have to learn to drive a stick, since we will be taking the bug down there. Love y'all, see you soon!

I Feed 13 Cannibals!

2008-03-20T09:26:00.001-04:00

Check this out!

Courtesy of T's roommate.

Change of Pace

2008-03-19T13:53:00.000-04:00

Just wanted a new post on here. There's not much new to say; I am working at night and doing schoolwork all the other times. Our senior design project is planning on flying next week, our first trial flight. :) Our first machine design exam is tomorrow, so I need to review for that. Otherwise, I am just applying for jobs and attempting to keep the dishes from piling up. Hope to see some of you soon. Have a great Easter weekend!

2008-03-18T16:27:00.002-04:00

It's been a frustrating week so far, and it's only Tuesday. I find out how much more I have to learn every day, and it doesn't quite seem fair. Once, back in youth group at Inland Manor, Mr. Elwood told us all about when he went to college (also at Rose, although it was Rose Polytechnic back then). He said that when he first went to school, he thought he knew everything. After each year, he got slightly dumber. He said by the time he graduated, he thought he knew nothing. Well, that's about where I'm at right now, and he was right on track.

I got called in to work today, so I'm headed to work in a few minutes. It's also Andy's birthday, and he is coming to the restaurant to celebrate, so hopefully I will get a few minutes off to sit with the group and say hi, since I was supposed to sit and eat with them.

I hope it stops raining, it's going to be a nasty walk!

Gun Shoot

2008-03-17T11:00:00.003-04:00

Tobin and I went to the Rose open gun shoot on Saturday. It was so fun! I got to shoot a handgun (45) and watched Tobin shoot a 9 mm handgun. We spent a lot of time with the shotguns. I tried a 20g and a 12g. With the 20, I actually hit a few of the clay birdies!!! I was surprised and very excited. The 12 was heavier and I did more damage to my shoulder than the clay birdies, that's for sure. Then I got to shoot a rifle. It was called a 30-06, which I have no idea what that means, but it was HUGE. I had to prop it on bags and sit to shoot it. It only took four rounds in the clip, but that was plenty. The bullets were so big! It sounded like a cannon to me, but then again I haven't heard very many guns before. Anyways, four shots was more than enough for my shoulder. I had no idea if I hit the targets or not; I had everything lined up in the scope, but after I pulled the trigger I just tried to stay in my seat and make sure the gun didn't jump off the bags, so I never saw anything happen to the targets. The other rifles I shot were the 22's, and those are fun little guys. I shot at little rubber rabbits hanging by their ears, lol! It was a lot easier to hit a target with those lighter guns. All in all, it was really fun and I can't wait to shoot again! I'll update more another time. Later!

License

2008-03-08T14:44:00.001-05:00

I got a new driver's license today! My new name/address is on it. The BMV people looked really confused when they realized T and I live at different addresses. I didn't try to explain it to them. Takes too long. Anyways, the license looks totally different than my old one (and it's pink on the top!). Does anyone know if the new licenses are blue for boys and pink for girls, or are they all pink on the top?

I'm running in a race with Em on May 10th....fun stuff! I really should start training for it. I don't think I'll be setting any records in this race, I just want to finish and have some fun with Em waaaay up north. Hope you see you all soon!

Mysterious Diseases

2008-03-06T11:16:00.003-05:00

My car is on the fritz again. :( It doesn't like to start for some reason or another. Hopefully it will start when the weather gets warmer. Oh and a piece of the front bumper removed itself partially from the rest of the bumper and drags on the ground when the car decides to start. So I need to cut that off too. Phooey.

BUT on the bright side, it will be warmer soon(ish) and I can ride a bike to Rose and walk to work. Good thing Kroger's within walking distance too!

AND I sorta have an interview down South when Tobin and I head there for spring break. :) Ain't it great?!

Learning Arabic 101

2008-03-05T15:29:00.005-05:00

Had my first lesson in Arabic today. Wow, it's going to be tough, that's for sure. Rosetta Stone uses an immersion approach to learning languages, and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment. I knew absolutely nothing about Arabic and by the end of lesson one I was just guessing randomly. I'll be going over that lesson again when my brain doesn't hurt as much. It's really a neat program and I am excited to use it and to learn a new language, but I have a feeling the first few weeks will cause headaches. Once I can get past the initial not-knowing-anything feeling, I think it will get a lot better. Oh and all of the letters look the same, isn't that fun?

One cool thing is a keyboard applique provided in the package. I have Arabic letters and symbols on my keyboard now! I don't know how to use them, what they mean, or how to switch my keyboard function to Arabic, but that will come later. Right now it just looks cool.

I'll let you all know as I improve. Maybe soon I'll just chatter away in Arabic. Maybe. At least the numbers are the same.

Final Quarter

2008-03-03T21:52:00.002-05:00

Check out the last post to see how the honeymoon went. :) It was fun, wish there were lots of honeymoons in life.

So, I have a slightly easier quarter ahead of me, and I needed a hobby. I decided to learn Arabic, and ordered the software which should be arriving tomorrow or the day after. :) Super excited! I will also be finishing up my senior design project and taking two light classes at Rose as well as doing work study, my restaurant job, and looking for a full-time job down South.

We are still wrapping some wedding things up, but TY notes are almost all out and we have most of our returns done. We just have to purchase needed household items but will probably wait until we move to do that. We will mostly be getting necessary things, but there is a certain TV we both fell in love with that might get purchased as well. Maybe.

Now Tobin and I are getting adjusted to married life in separate houses, and we're looking forward to the day when we'll have our own place together.

The Bolton Honeymoon

2008-02-29T22:04:00.006-05:00

Hi everyone! We made it back from our little escape to Indy. What a fun few days! We headed to a little B&B on the north side of Indy for three nights, and we chose a loft room that had its own kitchenette. Here is the front of our little inn, and the next picture is of our room.

The loft, where the bed was located, was painted sky blue with puffy white clouds and there was a skylight that let in the sunshine and moonlight. It was so pretty and a lot of fun! One of the best parts: in the bathroom, there was a large jacuzzi tub. We got to eat a full breakfast on Sunday in the downstairs dining room (it was served to us) and we got to talk to another couple that was celebrating the husband's 30th birthday. I had never experienced a B&B before, so it was all new and exciting.

We didn't get a lot of pictures of the room, but here is one of Tobin using the little iron and ironing board the inn provided. He's at the window seat, where we sat to do a lot of thank you notes.

One day we hit the Circle Centre Mall in Indy and found an arcade where we spent too much money. Here's me beating the boss on one game. That's after I already died once and had to pay to play again.

We ate at some fantastic restaurants, Mongolian Barbecue and Buca di Beppo's, and had lots of time to relax and enjoy the inn's small DVD library as well. If we had been there for any longer, I would have taken advantage of their book collection too. I did play the piano for a few minutes, but I got bored using the three notes I know how to play. ;)

After we got back to the Haute, Tobin and I have been relaxing, eating, returning slow cookers, and learning how to be a married couple. We went to the social security office and officially changed my name! I am now legally Erin Rachel Bolton. I started working again, and on Monday we go back to school for the last 10 weeks of our college careers.

I'll try to post later with any new news! Later.

Two More Days

2008-02-21T14:50:00.002-05:00

I am done with finals forever! This was my last final of my senior year and, hopefully, my life. YAY!! I calculated what I would need to get on the final to pass the class, and it was less than a zero...however, I do need to get a passing grade on the final in order to pass the class, so I did need to make sure I passed this test. We'll find out some time next week, but I'm not too worried.

I have parts in for my senior design project, batteries and propellers. The motor should come after break in that first week of classes. I'm going to start working more hours at Ricks and I can come in earlier now that I finish classes at 11 M-Th.

Can't believe I'll be married next quarter. :) I'm so excited. Just need to do a little shopping and a little packing and a little decorating and then I'm ready for the big day. :) My car might be fixed too! Dad's replacing parts as we speak. Alright, I better wrap things up, my chauffeur should be getting out of his final in a couple minutes. Later!

Eek

2008-02-19T23:52:00.002-05:00

Time is eating away at my days...I only have four left! One more final to take and lots more things to get done for the wedding. Eek.

Oh and my car decided to die yesterday. Perrrfect.

Some Random News

2008-02-16T00:24:00.008-05:00

Here's one that's a bit belated. I think Tobin liked his gift:

Also, on February 14th, 2008, we officially used the red plate for the first time. I made a cake (pumpkin cake with cheesecake filling and icing) and cut it into a heart. :)

Seven more days!! :)

February 15th, 2008

2008-02-15T11:15:00.003-05:00

I can remember ten years ago, when I was at church, and my new baby brother was being born back at home. We went out to lunch with a lady from church (my three siblings and I), and when we came back, we were greeted at the door and told to come back and see our new brother!

I can remember holding him for the first time. Until that time, I had only held dolls that were that small, but he was so warm and heavy and alive and absolutely adorable. He was the little brother I had prayed for, and now he was in my arms!

Zachary, I love you, boy; thanks for ten great years! By the way, you make me feel really old. I'm so glad you have grown so tall and strong. And you're so cool! Baseball, football, basketball, running, and all of those video games you like so much...you're an awesome little brother, and I can't wait to see you in a week. Love you!

9 days

2008-02-14T15:11:00.002-05:00

Last minute stuff is getting done! There are lots of last minute things to do, but they will probably have to wait until the weekend. This week, I had two presentations (one for our senior design project) and three papers due (one for senior design, one for aero design, and one for the ME lab project), and next week I have a take-home final and Design test to finish.

We finally got the propulsions system ordered for the senior design aircraft! That's a huge load off my shoulders, and next quarter we will start building/wiring/testing. We fly 4 weeks into the next quarter. Hypothetically.

I get married in nine days! :) Oh, and happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Nineteen WOW

2008-02-04T08:33:00.000-05:00

I totally know I told y'all I'm not updating until after the wedding...but I have this countdown running on my homepage, and it says 19 days!! That's SO CLOSE! I'm very excited and so happy, and all I can think of are how many things I have to get done before 19 days is up. Yikes.

New news: I have a job now! I'm working at a local bbq smokehouse, and it will be my first day today. I told no one to come by, but I think they're coming anyway. Poo. Anyways, I'm hoping to still get the days off I need to get off before the wedding. Like this Tuesday is the volleyball banquet, Sunday is Tobin's grandma/grandpa's 50th anniversary event, and next Sunday is the private shower for my wedding. I would really like to attend. :) We'll see, hopefully Rick is cool with letting me have those days. Oh, and I'd really like the 23rd and the next few days off, too. Sheesh. Ridiculous. I'm gonna get fired before I even start! At least he knows I'm only part time for the first few weeks.

Well, time to study a bit before I go work out. Later!

Short update

2008-01-10T18:11:00.001-05:00

I am busy. Busy. Busy. I will update more after the wedding.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-23T22:29:00.000-05:00

How's this Christmas treating everyone? I love being able to be home and relax. I went to bed at 8:30 last night...innnncredible. Slept until 7:15 the next morning and I plan on repeating the same schedule sometime soon. Getting old, haha. Guess that's what turning 22 will do to you.

Tomorrow the whole gang of us will be heading up to Grandma's house. We haven't been up there in a couple of years, so I'm looking forward to it. Seriously, though, this eating thing has to stop. I'll never get into that wedding dress in two months.

Eloping is looking better than ever. Weddings are a pain. I just want to get married to the man I love and enjoy my day. The end. Every other little detail is unnecessary and too expensive.

My Wedding Site

2007-12-14T11:55:00.000-05:00

My brother is incredible and put together a site (click here) for our wedding. It looks great, and soon will have some more information on it for you to enjoy!

School is keeping me very busy, but I am attempting to find a part-time job for the rest of the year as well, so if anyone has any ideas, please let me know. I played some IM volleyball last night. That was a lot of fun! It's been a while since I have been able to play. The teams weren't very good, but I got to hit once and just touching a volleyball again was nice.

Christmas break is in two weeks, which I'm really looking forward to! I haven't finished my shopping yet, darn it. And I think it's only one or two more gifts, but still...I think some people enjoy finding gifts for other people, but for me it's kind of stressful. I love to give gifts, but only if I am sure they will love what I'm giving them.

We booked the White Chapel and the Ohio Building and photographer are almost booked, and we meet with the caterer on Sunday to finalize the food and cake with her. Then over the rest of the weekend we are hoping to register and possibly find wedding bands as well. :) Exciting stuff, we'll be keeping busy! I'll try to post more later, maybe with pictures.

Here's a summery one. Mm, Florida!

!!!!!!

2007-12-05T18:00:00.001-05:00

I have a dress!!!!!

That's all.

December Already?!

2007-12-04T18:14:00.000-05:00

Time is flying by. School makes it seem reeeeally slow sometimes, but wedding plans make it seem like I don't have time for anything and tomorrow is always here before I'm ready for it. I think I kind of like things this way. I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off, but I'm certainly not bored!

We have locations for the ceremony and reception booked, invitations bought, the invitation list almost complete, tuxes ordered, and a caterer almost booked. I have another photographer meeting on Thursday and tomorrow I will be going wedding dress/bridesmaid dress shopping. This weekend we will be placing a flower order and designing the bouquets/corsages/boutonnieres, as well as addressing invitations. Our program is almost done and we have ideas for entertaining people at the reception...our wedding music is coming together as well.

Things are really happening! It's exciting and can be lots of fun. I just need to remember that when things get stressful. If school didn't feel the need to butt in on my plans, things would be fine and dandy.

I am still looking for full-time employment after graduation and part-time employment for the rest of the school year. If anyone hears of any openings, let me know! Thanks for all the support. I'll see some of you this weekend. Later!

2007-11-24T23:11:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving break has been wonderful. #1 news.....

Tobin and I are getting married! Here is a picture of the happy couple:

More details to come.

#2 news....my family is amazing, I will miss them after break, and I head back to Rose tomorrow to start the second of my last three quarters.

1/3 of Senior Year Complete

2007-11-17T18:18:00.000-05:00

Break is amazing, I'm at home enjoying my amazing family and eating far too much food. My brother fixed my Stone Age computer and Thanksgiving is coming up SOON. Can't wait! :)

I love not having to think. Break is good for the soul. The only down side so far was the UofM/OSU game. Next year, boys.

IKEA was awesome, I got lots of coveting done and even bought a toilet brush. :) Maybe someday I'll walk out of there with the kitchen of my dreams too, but that day's kinda far away.

Finals

2007-11-11T12:01:00.000-05:00

Monday - Control Systems (1 PM)

Tuesday - Theoretical Aerodynamics (8 AM)
Engineering System Design (6 PM)

Wednesday - Mechatronics (6 PM)

I'll be outta here in three and a half short days. :)

Last Friday

2007-11-09T09:31:00.000-05:00

This is officially my last day of classes for this quarter. I have finals next week and then I'll be home for break. :)

Wanna hear some sweet news? I'll be taking only 14 credit hours next quarter, then guess what? ONE class in the spring. And I'm done. :):):) No more books, or teacher's dirty looks, or any of that noise. I'm DONE!

I am already several weeks into my senior project for the year, in which my team and I will be designing, building, and flying a model airplane of about 5 feet by 4 feet, maximum dimensions. In the spring we will be making a trip out to Kansas to join the other DBF teams (from all over the country and overseas...MIT, Purdue, etc.) in a competition. Since we started before the other senior design teams, we will also finish a month or so early. :P So I will have even less to do after our final competition. We will have to present at Rose, but that won't be a big deal, and the required documentation for the DBF competition will also cover our senior design documentation. It's a good deal.

See you all over break. I'll basically just be studying for the next 5 days, hopefully with no interruptions. Later!

2007-10-29T22:17:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the long time since I last updated. This quarter is doing it's best to kill me, so most of my time is spent preventing that from happening.

Volleyball is almost over, for which I am extremely grateful. We have one more practice tomorrow and one more game on Wednesday, then I am done.

I am working on a project that will become a football game for one class. This class consumes more time than I thought possible, but our game will be sweet once we finish. It's really a simple idea, it's a field goal game, just flicking a paper football through the uprights, but we will be building a nice game board with movable uprights. The teams are Illinois and Michigan, and the game lights up an LED by each name when it is that player's turn. Then you get 20 seconds to kick a field goal. If you make it, your score on the LCD screen goes up by one. The first team to reach 5 points sets of the buzzer which plays that team's fight song and the LCD announces that you won. It's fun, but mostly just a pile of wires and a computer program right now. :)

Mom and Dad are coming to visit me this weekend! I'm excited and ready to show them around. It will be fun.

I can't wait for break. Sleep, food, turkey,Elyse's birthday, family, and some relaxing....it will be so nice. See you all soon!

Fall Break

2007-10-11T23:11:00.001-04:00

In Kentucky today, heading to Virginia tomorrow. We lost in 4 today to Transylvania. It was a pretty good match, after the first 2 games. Very disappointing, though. Tomorrow should go better, after a nice long trip on a bus. I think it's supposed to be 8 hours or something.

I get to go see a brand new niece soon! Maybe this Sunday, maybe next Friday, or the weekend after. I'm not sure, but I can't wait! See y'all soon.

I'm an Aunt Again!

2007-10-08T18:34:00.001-04:00

I'll post pictures of me and the new niece as soon as I go up there to visit her and take some pictures! :) Yay, welcome Ava Joy Rumley!

Career Fair

2007-10-04T06:43:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was our Rose-Hulman career fair. We had 210 companies attend, a record for us. I'm on the career fair team, so we set up Tuesday night and on Wednesday I was required to work the fair outside of actually attending it.

It was amazing. I talked to lots of companies (got lots of free stuff, hehe), and today I have two interviews. I have to apply online for another job as well, and I am waiting to hear back from another company. This is a big day, I'm a little nervous.

I'll let you know how the interviews go. Gotta go get ready. :) Lacey, hope you're hanging in there ok. SOOOON, no worries!

Ratatouille

2007-09-30T19:17:00.000-04:00

I was inspired by the Disney movie and made some ratatouille, again courtesy of my Cooking for Engineers site. The dish was pretty good, but I think if I were to make it again I would add more tomatoes (or a tomato sauce) and serve it over rice. Next on my cooking list: homemade mushroom soup. I'm excited about this one!

Homecoming was this weekend for Rose. The football team won! It only proved the outhouse theory correct. Our tradition is to set off a huge bonfire and if the outhouse on top falls through the middle of the beams, the football team will win the next day. It did, and they did. It was a good game! Once again, KT and I made shirts, and this time Dani did too. Lots of fun, and a pretty good weekend minus our volleyball game.

Now I'm waiting for baby Rumley #3 to show up so I can run up to Michigan to see him! Today's the due date...so maybe I'll hear something soon. Time to get some homework done, I'll update soon.

More Vball Stuff

2007-09-23T12:17:00.000-04:00

It's what I do, sorry that's all I've talked about recently. Here are some photos from the last home match. We didn't win, I don't know why we played so poorly...I actually had a decent game, but we couldn't pull it together.

Serving:

This one makes me laugh. Frog legs!

These next two are in sequence. Block goes up:

Nu-uh, son.

Trying to split 'em. Don't remember if I was successful or not.

That's all, folks. Enjoy.

Pre-season Conference Standings

2007-09-16T14:33:00.000-04:00

Check it out!

http://www.heartlandconf.org/volleyball/volleyball.htm

Hi

2007-09-13T13:14:00.001-04:00

What's been going on with me? Mostly I've just been busy recently with school, practice, games on weekends, and trying to get back into college mode. I got to see some of the fam last weekend, thanks for coming down, guys! I can't wait to see you all this weekend.

I have lots of projects and labs this year, and I'm sure the job search will keep me hopping. Having an offer does make it a tad less stressful, but not much.

Gotta get going, I'm on a lunch break right now. Here's a picture of my lovely team! :)

Second Set of Games

2007-09-02T13:26:00.000-04:00

We won...went home 2-2 this weekend...so we already have as many wins as we had last season. I think we won both matches in 4 (Luke, not 4 seconds or minutes...4 games in one match).

And that's all for now.

First Games

2007-09-01T00:18:00.000-04:00

We lost the first game in 3 and the second in 4. We looked really good in the second game but I think everyone was tired. It wasn't the best day. Tomorrow will be better. I'll let you all know how those go. Two of my interns made it to the first game, I kinda wish we could have done better for them. Going to bed now.

2007-08-28T16:38:00.000-04:00

I made ribs (the pork variety) yesterday. :) I'm almost domestic, Mom. Em, they turned out pretty good! Really simple, too.

Volleyball has settled down into a somewhat normal routine now, and our house has couches and will soon sport a futon as well. We're ready to roll for this year, I suppose. Classes start on Thursday, in two days. Our first game is on Friday. So soon! I'm looking forward to it, though.

I have found a new website I like. It's called Cooking for Engineers. Nope, not kidding at all, and it's exactly what I need too, imagine that. :)

I spent a buttload on books and I only got 3 this quarter. Hopefully I can beg borrow or steal for next quarter. Alright, that's all I got for now. Later!

Short on Supplies

2007-08-23T19:48:00.000-04:00

I have vegetables on my hand. Got an X-ray today for a jammed finger. Nothing's wrong with it except the size. It's a little puffy, thus the vegetables on my hand.

There's not much else going on. Just volleyball. I took Tylenol nighttime stuff so I'm about ready to hit the sack. At 8, yep. All done with two-a-days though! Later taters.

2007-08-22T20:36:00.001-04:00

Two-a-days are like dying without the reward of death at the end.

One Down

2007-08-21T07:37:00.000-04:00

One two-a-day down, three more to go. I'm surprised we only have 4 this year, but I'm glad. I really think two-a-days do nothing for you except lots of reps with the ball. It's a tearing down of your body with no time for building your muscles back up.

We had our first puker yesterday morning. Poor little freshman.

Well, I need to head down to the gym soon. Can't wait to see everyone!

2007-08-20T18:44:00.000-04:00

I don't know how it's looking on your computers, but it's supposed to be plain. There will be no visible boxes and all links should be on the bottom of the page. Embrace change. It's good for you.

Vball

2007-08-20T12:25:00.000-04:00

I'm back at Rose. Volleyball preseason. I'm tired.

If these posts are looking funny, use Firefox.

Look, I'm a Tropical Storm!

2007-08-15T15:39:00.000-04:00

This is really cool except for the destruction and danger I am going to bring upon the coast of Texas. Maybe I'll become a hurricane.

I got to drive a 770 truck (y'all saw that one) and a 777F truck (you haven't seen that one, I'll put pictures up later maybe) and I also drove a big scraper, not sure of the size. I have pictures of me up in the first 24M, and it's painted white. I'll try to show you that later as well.

I have two days of work left and then volleyball starts! :) My final act at CAT is a presentation from 8-9 on Friday morning. :) We'll see how that goes. Love y'all, ttyl!

I Got to Drive a Truck!

2007-08-06T12:56:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the photos in this one, I can't figure out how to make it not be all jacked up.

I drove the smallest one Decatur makes, apparently, but it sure felt big to me! I drove over this little hill they have inside the practice track, and it felt like I was going over a mountain! The cab points toward the sky for a bit, then you're pointed right at the ground....WOW. Lots of fun! It goes up to 42 miles per hour. Not sure I ever got that fast, though. It was so bumpy...the one I drove didn't have the bed attached, so there was no weight holding her down. I couldn't keep the gas pedal down I was bumping around so much! Yep, the engine kept revving and revving...haha, they won't let me do this twice!

Anyways, these pictures are all with a different truck that has the bed attached. It was on the sound pad, and I got to raise the bed myself! Sooooo cool! Look how big this monster is. I'm shorter than the wheels!

This isn't a smile. It's a grimace of pain. There was lots of sun.

I know, you all wish you were as cool as me with my nifty hard hat. Safety glasses too, but you can't really see them in this picture.

Oooo. Big toys.

Here you can see my super sexy ear plugs. I'm getting ready to drive this baby! Well, raise the truck bed at least.

Mommy! Look what I can do!

Yup, that was all me. I feel small.

Another shot in case you weren't digging the last several.

Check my studly self out. :)

Hey Everybody

2007-08-03T18:39:00.000-04:00

Had my 3 interviews today. And the drug test. All went very well. :) I'll know more in the next few weeks.

AGH

2007-08-02T18:00:00.001-04:00

I have my job interview tomorrow. Yikes!

: )

2007-07-25T21:53:00.000-04:00

How come keeping one apartment clean is a full-time job for me? I already have one, thanks very much. Ridiculous, I tell you. And I don't want to hear one word about maids and Rose-Hulman.

So, my cubicles and chairs are Steelcase office furniture. Isn't that cool???? I'm supporting my brother's business, as you can see. ;) I was crawling around under my chair trying to find the name, but I got it! Entertaining for my coworkers, I'm sure.

I'm no good at planning for dinner. I started thawing the chicken way too late. Guess it's yogurt and crackers for a meal tonight! Mm mm good.

Later!

Homesick

2007-07-23T22:02:00.000-04:00

I think an empty apartment is a sad thing to come home to.

I miss you guys. I'll see you in August. :)

Short and Sweet, Just Like Me

2007-07-19T18:17:00.000-04:00

Look! It's me wielding a shovel! And a house that's taking up way too much of the picture. Focal point = me.

We had a fun/hot day building houses for Habitat for Humanity. There's more pictures but I don't feel like posting them. :)

Aaaand, I feel TONS better, thanks a lot for everyone that pitched in. I really appreciate it.

21 days of CAT left, and then I'm back in preseason. Wooooohoooooo! Who's pumped about this season? That'd be me.

I'm going to go be domestic now. Yikes. Later everybody! (oh and check out Meyer's castle online, those of you connected to Jo-B...sheeeeeeminee. that's pretty)

I'm Famous

2007-07-17T13:47:00.000-04:00

Happenings in Decatur-land...

I was on the Decatur news! Yup, WANDtv. I'm trying to ward off the mobs of autograph-hungry fans by hiding in a somewhat run-down apartment and developing nasty diseases. That'll teach them! So, the Caterpillar motor grader team worked on some Habitat for Humanity houses this past Saturday. Yours truly was caught on camera wielding a shovel. :) Fun stuff. I should have pictures to show you all soon.

Also, I seem to have gotten on the bad side of ill recently. I don't know what happened, but I began to notice a pain and swelling in my side and some unnatural bleeding. I went to the doctor...scary stuff, I felt like a little kid playing grown-up, let me tell you. The nurse guy calmed me down though. :) I like him. Anyways, I'm on some medication now that seems to be helping, woohoo! I'll be back in black and scampering around work and the gym in no time. The clinic did manage to toss out my urine sample before getting it tested, however. Ah yes, the competency of Decaturville-ians loses none of its potent reputation.

Side note: my pee is now ORANGE cuz of the meds, how cool is that??? Aaaand, my boyfriend is wonderful and deserves like 3 gold stars or something. He takes care of me and I kind of like it. I'm skipping work today and I get to see my lovely family in just a few short hours! Thanks for all of the help my scattered family members gave me yesterday, I was kind of a basket-case. You're all the best!

Lots Is Not the Same

2007-07-11T23:11:00.000-04:00

I no longer have a roommate. It's a long story, but between one incompetent HR lady and an issue with cockroaches, Emily and I were moved to new apartments, separate ones. I like having the freedom back, but I miss having the company. We still hang out and stuff, but nighttime is a little scary once again. Maybe if it wasn't such a shady neighborhood...

I got recommended for a full-time position at CAT! That doesn't really mean I have a job, I still have to be chosen for an interview and all that, but it's a step in the right direction. Work is going pretty well; I am now almost through my seventh week, which means I have five weeks left of work.

Volleyball starts sooner than ever! I'm a little frustrated because my running times have gone up. I have been focusing a lot on lifting and not on running, so now I need to balance those better. I have five weeks to get my butt in gear!

I miss everyone and hope to see you over volleyball season at a game or two. If not, I'll definitely see you after the season at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Love you guys!

New News

2007-06-19T23:34:00.000-04:00

My new roommate is super! She's going to be a lot of fun, yay!

Things have been picking up at CAT; I am in training for two days and I work afterwards, so I get to be busy and I LOVE what I am learning in Investment in Excellence training. It is so rewarding and revealing; psychological stuff that makes you think about how you think and why and what you can do to change it. Good stuff.

Got my first ticket, boo. :( I'm no longer upset about it, but paying it off is a hassle.

I had my outdoor adventure quota for the year when I went hiking, fishing, and swimming with Toby on Sunday. Here are some pictures of me as a fisherperson. I'm a pro! Didn't catch anything, but just wait til next time!

I can fish!

Nature. Doing its thing.

I really can't aim.

There's a good one. Nice big cheesy smiles.

Is he in pain? I think he likes it.

TTFN! Tee eye double guh err. ;)