My life is crazy!

As most of you know, I'm hosting a foreign exchange student from the Netherlands. The regional director contacted me for some advice based on my prior military experience. Unfortunately she ended up having to resign from her position and recommended me to replace her. Today was my first day on the job. I am now the regional director for the exchange program for all of Utah.

So, my supervisor calls me this morning and welcomes me to the team. Then she tells me I have to remove a student from a home today and find somewhere for him to stay. Of course my house is my first thought but I don't have a spare bed and I am in the middle of trying to sell it. After asking everyone I know I asked my realtor and wouldn't you know it but she and her husband agreed to keep him until the weekend at which time the issue would be resolved. Either he would return to his host family or he would go to Oklahoma to a family who is willing to host him there. After picking him up and then taking to my realtors house I found that he seemed to be a really nice boy who was willing to sleep on my couch for the rest of the semester and take a taxi to school if that was necessary. Unfortunately I am just not in the position to take on another student. On the way home I needed to stop by another friend's house to drop off a computer program. After telling her about my crazy day she told me the boy could come and live the rest of the school year with her and her 3 boys (she is a single mom). So assuming all the paperwork goes well that is where the boy will end up. She is happy, he is happy, my supervisor is happy. The only one who won't be happy is the host parent who will no longer have a student. Oh well. I'm happy to get this resolved!

But guess what else happened???? I looked out my front window because I thought I heard the mail truck go by. What did I see? Not a mail truck, but a big hole in my front yard! I have a man hole cover which goes to a storm drain. It seems that somewhere along the line there is a crack in a pipe which is sucking the dirt from my yard into the pipe. The hole is currently about 3 feet deep and about 6-8 feet in diameter. Now how did I not notice this before? Because it was covered with a record amount of snow!! Not really good timing since my house is up for sale, although my realtor told me she is expecting an offer on my home soon from someone who looked at it yesterday, so we'll see.

I really don't need anymore stress! I have enough with school, two part time jobs, two full time teenagers, a boyfriend and a house for sale!

Acid reflux!

Can you believe I have very bad acid reflux and I didn't even know it! This is the reason my esophagus is closing up, I guess to try to protect itself. I had an upper GI and small bowel study the other day (if I have to drink one more ounce of barium solution I will hurt someone!) and they were amazed at how bad it was. So far, with my abdominal pain situation they have found the following: Loads of scar tissue in my abdomen due to appendix removal and tubal ligation, which was all removed surgically; irritable bowel syndrome, which isn't bad enough for me to take any meds (I take enough as it is) and now acid reflux. The doctor is hoping that this will get rid of my abdominal pain, since people with acid reflux experience lots of different pain locations. I hope so too because I'm getting tired of all these tests and doctors visits only to have the pain. So I'm on the little purple pill (Nexium) until further notice. If the pain persists after a month, I'm back at the GI doc's office again. So pray for healing for my esophagus and for everything for that matter! My kitchen counter looks like a pharmacy right now! :)

Wedding and stuff

So after agonizing about a wedding I've decided (and Mike agreed) that we will not have a public ceremony. We will have us, our girls and my pastor, and possibly my parents attending, along with a friend who will take photos. With selling 2 houses, buying one house, helping with my parents 50th anniversary celebration, school, a job and two teenagers, I've decided I don't need the stress of a wedding. I had a huge, over the top wedding the first time so I don't need that again. My church will only hold about 225 comfortably and since I've been active in my church for so many years I know just about everyone, would feel I need to invite all of them, plus all of my friends, Mike's friends, friends we share, my family, etc. we'd have to leave some people out which would be hard, so this is just so much easier. Plus, with the money we'll save we can afford a nice honeymoon later in the year.

Speaking of selling homes, we signed the paperwork with the realtor today. Our houses are in the affordable range (less than $200,000) which is still a really good market here so hopefully they will sell with little trouble. We've looked at several homes on the internet and will start looking this Friday. All very exciting!

And speaking of exciting: Chelsea got her learner's permit on Thursday. She drives really well for being so new at it. Now to get her enrolled in driver's ed!

Well, I have a paper to write that is due tomorrow so I'd better get on with it!

He asked and I said yes!!!!

Here we are at the Space Needle hours before he popped the question!













Here is the ring, with the flowers he had delivered to the room.


No date set but it will probably be in 2008!

Ring

Mike wants to know what size ring I wear and if I like white or yellow gold. Hmmmm..........

I love my boyfriend!

On Saturday afternoon I was out shoveling snow (which is a daily chore these days) when my neighbor walked out of his house with a vase filled with a dozen roses, a teddy bear and some chocolates. I thought he was showing me what he got his wife, but in reality he was delivering them to me. I was gone when the florist came so they delivered to the neighbors. Mike sent them to me with a card saying: Beautiful flowers for my BEAUTIFUL lady! I love you on Valentines and every other day. Michael. Now isn't that sweet!
So this is exactly what I got! He told me I could give the teddy bear to Chelsea, and she was thrilled. She wants to know when we are getting married. Hmmm, he did say something about needing to talk to my dad......



We are off to Seattle on Thursday. And this is where we are staying, at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront Hotel. Isn't it beautiful! We are having dinner one night at The Fish Club, right in the hotel. It is owned by Todd English, a celebrity chef who has his own cooking show on PBS. I'm sure the food will be wonderful. Of course we are going to Pikes Place Market, the Space Needle, where I believe we will eat lunch one day, we'll probably take the underground tour and see the aquarium. That should keep us busy. My friends, Bruce and Joann, will come on Saturday and have dinner with us at the pub at Pike's Place market. It will be nice to see them again and for them to meet Mike.