Fresh Start...?

Okay I have given up on back blogging...but I am going to try to make Thursdays my new blog night and blog at least once a week! We'll see how that goes!

Right now life is lovely in our household...Ruby is sleeping through the night...she wakes up at 6:00 am every morning, but Ben ALWAYS gets up with her and either sleeps on the couch or just starts the coffee. We tried "trusting" her one morning...and we lost a rug...not only did she chew the rubber backing off, but she also pulled the yarn completely through resulting in some pretty significant bald spots on the kitchen rugs! We lost another rug that was in front of our french doors in our bedroom...but that happened when we THOUGHT she was penned up but it turned out the little latch wasn't latched at all and she had free reign of the house...that one wasn't savable...Ben was mad, I was okay with it because I got a new rug! Ace is finally used to sharing his "mommy" and "daddy" with Ruby. They play GREAT outside...inside they kind of mind their own business.

Subbing is finally picking up again for Ben...things were getting slow, but never so slow that he wasn't working at least a day or two a week. Oh yeah! AND Ben got a job!!!!! Okay not a teaching job yet, but he interviewed for a coaching job at Nooksack Middle school and he GOT IT! So starting after Spring Break he will be helping coach middle school track...and get PAID! Whoo Hoo!

I have had a little mini break from night school...but will be starting again next week. But secretly I am kind of looking forward to it. I am also going to start teaching an after school program three days a week at work...which will be a nice little extra! My Scentsy business is going great. I am as busy as I want to be...with a few parties a month. I am thinking/praying that I'd like to be a little busier in the summer months! BUT I am also teaching summer school! Yay! Our district just found out our funding is here and we will be able to offer our summer program!

Ben and I are currently praying about a few opportunities in life right now and are hoping God will show us what he has in store for us...and we look forward to the upcoming days/months/years! Alright until next week (maybe sooner!) have a great weekend!

I know, I know...

I know what your all thinking, "weren't you supposed to update (even back post) your blog?" The answer is YES I was! Life just doesn't seem to slow down...ever! Mid-winter break it pretty much over (I still have tomorrow!) and I haven't been able to blog at all...although I am keeping up on all of your blogs!! Sad, I know...but I have my last night class of the quarter on Tuesday so what I am thinking is that I'll get a chance to update the Tuesday night after that...but I make no promises! That is my goal however...I have almost given up hope on back blogging...but there's a glimmer of hope still. For those of your faithful readers who check every day hoping that maybe I got my blogging rear into action...thank you for not giving up on me! I need to make blogging part of my daily or at least weekly routine and I'll be set...it's just getting into that routine!! Until Tuesday March 16... Have a good week (and a few days) readers!

Guess What!

I realize I have been the world's worst blogger lately...but just for a quick update...RUBY SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! For those of you who have been around, you know that it's been four weeks since we brought her home and she finally did it!!! That's all for now...but with Mid-Winter Break coming up next week, I am hoping to update and post all the pictures and blogs I had planned on posting since the new year...:) until then, enjoy the rest of the week!

Ruby

Okay a quick picture of the little lady...

Not Quite...

Well...we FINALLY heard back from the car salesman we were working with! The offer on trade in that we got for my car was not what we were hoping for. Although we could still handle the payment...we feel like because it's not going as expected, this is God telling us to sit tight with what we have right now. So right now we are going to focus on paying off Ben's brand new Toyota and then revisit the idea of my new vehicle.

On another note...we got a new puppy!!! Yay!!! (that yay is mostly me....not so much Ben) Ruby is SOOO cute...and VERRRRY spoiled! We are working on breaking some bad habits (you know like whining ALL night) and getting into routines! We got her a crate, and she really seems to like having her own space...she even climbs in on her own now. This is supposed to be a quick post (because Ruby is sleeping, which means we should be sleeping while we can) so I don't have time to put up a picture of her now but I promise I will get to it this weekend! She is darling!

Have a great rest of the weekend everyone!

Trading In...and UP!

The newest adventure in our life right now is looking into getting a new car for me. Typically this isn't too big of a deal for people right? Well I need a few extras in my car, the main one being a ramp conversation. Right now there isn't anything wrong with my car, however, it has all the EMC driving equipment in it, and it isn't getting used at all! Ben and I love the idea of him being able to get in the car without dodging around all the extra equipment. Right now we are thinking that we'd like to see what trade in on my car would be before it needs work. The driving equipment is very expensive and we found a dealer in Michigan that works with clients all around the U.S. The salesman we are working with says that he has at least 8 clients in the states that would be interested in my car. Great news right? Well he said that if we could take pictures of my car, especially of the driving equipment, that he could try to let me know by Monday what it might be worth for trade in. The reason this is such a good time is because if we can get good trade in on my car we can get a good down payment on my new car, which theoretically should cost less than the setup I have right now. We are hoping for a good trade in to get the balance on my new car down to something we can reasonably finance. And this is the exciting part...my new car (if this all works out) will NOT be a mini van!!! That's right we are moving away from the soccer mom ride. We are looking at a 2010 Honda Element. This car is the first SUV to be converted with a ramp. And the other bonus is that it would have 4-wheel drive! We are hoping that if this is what God wants for us right now that everything will go smoothly. The fact that there is a demand for the way my car is equipped is a good start...with high demand and fewer products available cost should be up right? Well that's the economics point of view anyways! So as I type this blog Ben is washing and detailing my car for pictures! (Thank you Lord for no rain today...it will make for much nicer pictures!) I will do my best to keep you all updated...we are trying not to get our hopes up, this is truly just a shot in the dark...and we are in no big rush.

Late Christmas Pictures...

I realize how late these pictures are...I almost didn't even put them up because we are so past Christmas, but I thought, what the heck? So here we go...Christmas in January!



Here I am in front of the Christmas tree...about to open my present from Ben...which by the way he denied getting me the entire time...he said that my new trunk in the living room was my present...I knew he had to be joking! ;)

I was spoiled AGAIN this year with diamonds...they are a girl's best friend right? Well Ben has that figured out! I got a diamond necklace from Ben Bridge! Thanks honey, I love it!

A quick picture of Ben before he opened his present from me...

Yay...an iPod nano...took him awhile to figure it all out...but he eventually got it. I told him that if he couldn't figure something out, that he could take it to work and ask one of the middle school kids...I'm sure they would know!

We had a nice relaxing Christmas morning/afternoon together before heading to my grandma's for a family dinner...I'll post more pictures of that soon!