Return to Bloggy-World

I'm back good readers! How long has it been since my last post anyway? This past week, say, week and a half has been filled with...life. It's been exhausting settling in but now that the dust has settled (figuratively and literally as we've had a few rains! Wahoo!) it will probably take us months to finish up since we're past the I-am-so-annoyed-from-looking-at-clutter stage of setting up house. One room (the previous owner's art studio) is filled with stuff that needs to be organized but it (thankfully) is unattached to the main part of the house so I can conveniently not go out there and look in the room; therefore I can also stay sane (I have wondered for a while when to use a semicolon and have been too lazy to look it up until writing this post. I was feeling insecure not knowing if I used that semicolon correctly and decided to google it...then read about semicolon's here. I'm still unsure if I used it correctly because I don't know if "therefore" is considered a conjunction? Laziness has won out again, dear people, so if anyone would be so kind as to comment and inform me to save me from another google-adventure that would be wonderful. Thank you.)

Oh, and I know that I've already learned several time when and when not to use semicolon's yet can't remember. So please don't feel like a failure, dear mother or dear English professor's at Bryan...it isn't you, it's me.

The pictures I can't wait to post are the before and after pictures of the two rooms I've painted. However the software we need to transfer those pictures from Jonathan's camera to the computer is currently being downloaded. If it downloads successfully then I may just post twice today! Then again, probably not.

I do have a few random pictures that are recent and would like to post...

This was about load 12 of 51 (ok, a bit of an exaggeration but it sure felt like that many!)

I know I said I wasn't going to post pictures of myself 'til the desired amount of weight came off but since every good weight-loss adventure needs a good before and after shot I figured, what the heck, let people see me in one of my 3 fitting t-shirts. Even though this picture was taken weeks after my sugar-free diet (that hasn't been so sugar-free, I must confess) it is still before any real progress has been made. I guess it can be considered a before picture.

But progress has begun! No lbs have been lost but discipline has entered my life (thanks to a very disciplined girlfriend here). This Wednesday my life took a turn as I began waking at 5:30am in order to walk at 5:45am with a friend here (we're just starting to get to know each other, but I'll tell ya, I like her...even if she does leave me sore and feeling decrepit at the end of our hour-long walk).

I found out on Thursday that we do share a common motivation for waking while it is still dark (did I mention that she has 4 children, the youngest being only 6 or 7 weeks old? Her discipline really puts me to shame). Anyway, perhaps she only told me this to make me feel better about my non-disciplined ways (I was telling her how impressed I am that she gets up so early while still getting up throughout the night to nurse her little guy!) but it turns out we both have brothers getting married in December who's weddings we will be attending! Hallelujah for rich and very generous brothers (I don't think I've mentioned it yet that my soon-to-be-wed brother bought tickets for Karis and me to come back for a few weeks in December?). I also found out that MJ (my walking buddy) is actually going to be a bridesmaid in her brothers wedding. I wasted no time in shouting out another Hallelujah for having a brother who didn't asked me to be in his wedding! Then again, I'm sure most girls don't want their future SIL's taking up 4 bridesmaid positions. Either way I'm grateful that I can enjoy the ceremony from a pew:-)

Onto other pictures...

Our new house came with a pool (it's about 3 1/2 feet deep).

I've never wanted to own a pool (so much work, etc) but now that we have a pool I think it will give us some great opportunities around here! The previous owners were so generous with their home and ministered to so many people. This is actually the pool that Jonathan was baptized in back in 1990! We've pretty much kept it closed and covered due to the dust during dry season and the cold water. We hear that the water will heat up as we enter rainy season.

But we have let Karis swim twice since living here, as she is completely unhindered by the cold water and would stay in there all day if we let her! With her floatie swimsuit she can jump in and swim around by herself.


Karis' footrest is our new dog Moof (or Moofy, if you prefer) that came with the house. Actually, we have been planning on adding Moof to our family since April not knowing that we'd get to keep his house, too! He is an awesome dog. He is the 1 out of 3 pets we've acquired since returning from furlough that is a success story. I'm sure I'll have a post dedicated to him at some point.

Now that home-life is beginning to resemble something normal around here I'm thinking/praying/pondering what kind of schedule to bring into the Kroeker home! There are so many different opportunities to pour our lives into yet I know we can't say yes to all of them. I almost feel lost after having (what felt like) a year of non-stop chaos! I'm excited though, to see where the Lord is going to lead us and what opportunities He brings our way.