Breakfast On Pluto

I've sadly neglected you all, this is true. Between my battles with morning sickness, the hectic schedules of our jobs and our weekly trips to the condo there hasn't been much time (or desire) to update. But now that things have settled down I'll give a quick update that, before too long, will be punctuated by pictures!

After a full month of spending our Sundays at the condo throwing out junk, saving junk, moving our junk, and cleaning the junky condo, we officially moved out and gave our keys over. The place looks, smells, and is cleaner than it was when we moved in, and probably than it has been for years. Whether we will see the results of that in a return of our deposit, only time will tell. Its a relief to not drive around there anymore, and we were able to spend the following Sunday settling into our new home (not really fun and relaxing either but it needed to be done!). Our boxes are put away (except for some stuff in the bedroom that needs going through), our Christmas tree is up, and when we feel up to it we will start rehanging our pictures. For now its nice to settle into a clean place on our new and matching couches, and feel like (ha!) real grownups.

Our first official doctor appointment is January 4th, and once its over I'll be relieved. This pregnancy has been pretty textbook- all the things that were supposed to happen did happen at precisely the right times, and the things that shouldn't happen unless its bad have not. There was a 3 week break between my morning sickness (thank God it ended when it did!) and the last week or so where I had worries about whether it was still alive in there or not, but now we have started to feel movement. In fact yesterday it spend about 3 hours doing continual somersaults, and would go from side to side. I think it thinks my stomach is some sort of bounce house. Anyways, once we get the ultrasound and tests done and they can reassure me everything is as right as it can be for now, I'll feel more comfortable to talk about the baby more. Right now I guess I feel like I could still jinx something. Other than talking about our fears of parenthood and our sharing of horrifying birth facts, and maybe the occasional verification of certain parental methods (AKA our kid will never act like that, spanking is a good thing, fear is a must, lol) we haven't talked about stuff like names or anything. I think most people think its a girl- we both kind of have a feeling its a girl- Rob wants a girl- so I find myself feeling bad for the little thing if it comes out a boy. I will be excited- I don't want to deal with a girl's drama and I'm pretty sure if its like me it will get shipped off to boarding school- but so far it seems like the draw is in favor of pink.

People started telling me to figure out what theme I want for the baby, because apparently everyone has a theme - whether its colors or animals or something along those lines- that they use for baby showers and decorating and so forth. There are some obvious things, like regardless of the sex it will have to be obsessed with Disney and Star Wars. Rob has already claimed that it will be receiving a boba fett plushie as its go to toy from him. I'm determined that if its a girl it will be dressed as multiple disney princesses. But as far as baby stuff goes, I don't want to get stuck in a boy or girl theme. So I decided that the "theme" would be Winnie the Pooh, and the more I think about it the more I like it. I want to make a cute bee mobile, i have these adorable little baby pooh and eeyore animals my mom sent me, and there are tons of stuff out there that can go with those "colors". Its pretty neutral too, so if we decided to have another kid after this we can reuse everything without worrying about a boy/girl difference. Ok, enough about babies.

We can use some prayer, as my job will be coming to at the end of December. The church we go to is struggling financially, and they aren't able to keep me on. This seems to be a common theme for me this year. Anyways, I've been praying to get a job that will let me stay at home, and I have been tentatively offered a Sales Manager position for a company owned by some people I used to know in NH. At the moment it looks like it would be commission only, and I haven't gotten much solid information yet as the job wouldn't start until January, so we don't know much right now about the job, or even if I will accept it. The major benefit would be that I would telecommute and do sales calls from home, and manage my region from here. I don't think it involves much if any travel either. Anyways, regardless of whether this is the job God wants me in or if another opportunity is on its way, prayer that we will be in the right place at God's timing and that up to that point He will provide would be appreciated.

This is way too long of a post so I'll end. We are excited to head up to Lacey a week from today! Can't wait to see our family. Love you all and Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving

We have pictures, you just can't have them because we are waiting for a finished product. :-)

I went Thanksgiving shopping last night, and poor Rob came along. He really should never come food shopping with me. He doesn't take it well- somehow spending a large chunk of money on food just doesn't compute in his brain. I tried to make it go fast- had everything listed out and even organized by what type of food it was and thus roughly where we would find it. I also got a !turkey roasting pan! with prongs and a baster, yay! This is my first try not making my turkey in a bad, so I was going to have to buy a baster anyways. I'm also going to attempt gravy. :-/ We'll see how it goes.

Rob also bought me a new antennae for our tv so I could watch the Macy's parade- an old tradition of mine. The last few years I either haven't been able to watch it or I've been so busy cooking I haven't had time, but this year I planned early and I'm getting some stuff done today so my biggest concern tomorrow will be mashed potatoes, turkey and the gravy.

I wish we could be with family on this holiday, but it is kind of nice to spend a holiday in our new house, with our lovely new couches and thanks to manly-man Rob, a working washer and dryer.

Address & Other Things

Our new address, for those of you that have been requesting it, is 3101 Shader Road, Orlando, FL 32808. Just don't post it on facebook :-D

So lets have a little talk about the God that just keeps on giving. We aren't on insurance, and we haven't been able to get to an official doctor yet, let alone figure out how we are going to pay for a delivery, other than working out a deal with a hospital. Turns out Robert's new parent company has some awesome insurance that A) doesn't consider pregnancy a pre-existing condition, B) has an all-inclusive plan that covers maternity and C) is affordable enough for us to get on. The only downside is that it doesn't start until January, but I have gotten a list of doctors, and, on top of all this, the hospital I'm VERY interested in is included in our list of PPO vendors. YAY! So i found about 5 ob/gyn doctors I was interested in talking to on our PPO list affiliated with the hospital and will ask if there is any way to work out a discount/payment plan for the 1-2 visits needed before insurance kicks in, or maybe even a way to hold off the bill until our insurance starts (not quite sure if thats legal though...).

On a side note, I have the most wonderful, caring, supportive husband ever who spoils me rotten.

Home Sweet Home!

After over a year of horrible living, Rob and I have finally made it into a real home! Its quiet, clean, perfectly sized, and out in the middle of nowhere just close enough to lots of things to make in happy! And its in a nice neighborhood and only a 5 minute drive from our church. Hurray! All our essentials are moved over, and Rob and I will spend the next several weeks bring stuff over and cleaning the other place. I can't say how excited I am to have a house where we can make as much noise as we want without bothering neighbors, have a place to put up Christmas lights, and sunbathe in a backyard without creepers staring. Hurray Hurray Hurray! People can come visit a non-gross, non-dangerous home! Anyways, for those of you not keeping up with the Holthouses, I strongly suggest checking out Rob's picture blog tonight. Its going to be good! :-) Hugs & Kisses

New place??????

PRAISE GOD!

Rob and I have found a new place to move to. Not only is it out of the gross neighborhood we are currently residing in, but it is a 3 bedroom, 2 full bath house on a 14 acre plot of land. We share the land with two other people- next door neighbors a small ways over hidden by some trees and bushes, and the landlords, a cute little couple in their 80s who go to our church and have adopted us as their own. Rob will finally be in a semi-rural setting, I can enjoy spending time outside worry free, and we won't have to live in an apartment complex! The blessing just keep coming because they lowered the rent down to what we said we could afford, we still won't be paying for water, and the tile floors and brick walls will keep it nice and cool, meaning smaller electric bills.

Orlando is starting to feel homey- I've settled into my jobs, Rob is doing really well with his- he made the top 10 this month! And with the weather cooling down and holidays on the way, I'm looking forward to this year.

Anyways, this change in location means that we can finally accommodate guests! So if anyone needs a warm vacation during winter...

We'll post pictures later. And if anyone knows of a decent camera for sale, Rob and I are looking to buy one. Our little one broke.

Fall!

It is the last day of September, and I have no idea where it went. Suddenly Rob and I are 25 days away from being residents of Florida for exactly one year. Our lease is up on our condo and we are looking for a new place- pray we find a decent house in a decent neighborhood at a decent price in the next 45 days!

Yesterday and today we experienced our first bit of fall weather- it was 80 degrees, and its amazing how cool 80 can feel after months of 110+. Not to mention the decidedly cool breeze blowing- it was really nice weather. Hopefully my schedule will even out soon and Rob's will ease up and we can enjoy this nice weather on some picnics and outdoor adventures. Batman will be excited to get to go to his doggy park again, now that its not so hot out.

Things are going well!

My book.

I have decided to write a book about you. For those of you who think I mean Kaje I don't, now that you know that you know who you are. I am going to write a book about all the ridiculousness that has come out of our relationship over the years, about the person I thought I knew and the one who you really are. About what you taught me on purpose and what you taught me just by being around. I just thought you deserved fair warning, giving your nature I think it might actually sell.

You have been warned, so tell me to stop if you really dont want me too, but I'll assume you dont care if you don't say anything.

Finally, Another Post!

I've been so bad about posting lately, Rob's been doing most of it. Check out his picture blog if you haven't lately, it always makes me smile. :-)

I've been a bit of a work fiend lately, which I guess is a nice change from unemployed. I'm working at a Methodist church that Rob and I now attend regularly, and that takes up my mornings from 9 to around 2. After that I head out to one of 4 schools that I teach ballroom at for an hour. Most of these kids are adorable to watch, although sometimes they are a handful. We are performing our first dance at a mall here in Orlando- they are dancing a merengue and a triple swing! And then in November I'll be taking them all to their first competition. Its definitely interesting. After that I usually run home for a bit to let Batman out, straighten up, or get some shopping or laundry done, and then its out to the dance studio to teach a few lessons in the evenings. Normally I'm back around 9:30- which makes my day pretty long. I'm hoping once the school dance program really gets off its feet I'll be able to do just that, and then have my evenings to myself.

Right now we are looking for a new place to live! Our year is finally up this month, and then we will be going to a month to month lease while we look for a new place. We won't be fully moved out until sometime in November at the earliest, but I'm looking forward to it. Pray that we find something that we can afford in a nice area- we are really leaning towards a house this time.

No exciting stories for the day...two little girls came into the church office today with their mom and proceeded to draw me 7 pictures to hang in my office and cleaned my entire desk with antibacterial hand wash, so the rest of the day it smelled like a hospital. But I was entertained and clean, so why not!

KC Masterpiece: by Me

Chorus:
Kc Masterpiece, oh ooh kc masterpiece
I'd quit my job and break my lease
for a juicy chicken covered the masterpiece
Verse 1:
We all work hard every day
when I get home the only thing I say
Is "hey you know what we should do?"
"Lather up some chicken in that sweet sweet Honey Barbecue"
Chorus:
Kc Masterpiece, oh ooh kc masterpiece
I'd quit my job and break my lease
for a juicy chicken covered the masterpiece
Verse 2:
Last Tuesday I was feeling blue
So depressed I didn't know what to do
Then I cooked a steak covered in original recipe
and realized that rock bottom meant things were gonna get better for me
Chorus:
Kc Masterpiece, oh ooh kc masterpiece
I'd quit my job and break my lease
for a juicy chicken covered the masterpiece

The project.

This is a documentary piece I am working on with Kaje right now. I am really excited to be doing anything with media again, it's been a long time and I forgot how much I enjoy it. I even managed to get a great microphone for free with my banking rewards points. This is probably going to take a month or 2 to finish given our work schedules, hopefully it will be worth the wait.

Batman

This a video we made Sunday, the things boredom inspires.

This is a post

Kaje got a new job, as per standard operating procedure once she lands so much as a phone interview it will undoubtedly result in hiring. This is exciting as her other job had to cut back on hours do to several complicated factors I don't care to get into. However, this promises some steady work at a time we really need it. She'll be working for a church in the area performing secretarial duties. We'll be heading there in the morning to see how the services are. Should be interesting.

As for me, I keep plugging along setting cages and catching animals. I am getting better at the job which is a plus, but this is becoming one of the hottest summers on record, which in florida means it is very very hot. It is not out of the question to get a second degree burn just from letting flesh touch a unshaded portion of roof line. Though my tolerance for all of it is getting much better on a daily basis.

As most of you know from facebook, batman lost his manhood a few days ago. He is getting back to normal pretty fast, but I dont think I have ever seen a sadder face than when I got home from work the day of the deed.

thats all i got for now.

New blog

I'm starting a new blog under this name http://apictureisworthaparagraph.blogspot.com/ it's going to be some pictures I like or pictures of things that I find interesting followed by a description and/or explanation. It will probably be boring to all of you, but I'll fun.

Sundate

Lazy weekend. This is what I have had. Saturday wasn't to busy so I managed to get home by 5. We had a ton of smokey bones gift cards and coupons and managed to have a 50 buck meal for the price of a tip. Quite nice. I like this mostly because I don't have to eat strictly healthy.

Lets see... I spent the entire weekend trying to figure out how to hack a facebook game. Turns out that facebook it pretty dang good about preventing that. I managed to have just about every flash game online besides that one... Though I'm still doing ok, here's one of my games. Now wasn't that boring? Try it and it will addict you.

I also managed to get a pretty viscous stomach flu it hurts. My hope is that by tomorrow morning it'll be gone, if it isn't it is going to be a very long day of work. Other than that, not a whole lot is going on. Just working and trying to find a craigslist couch.

Patient wife

Exhaustion. Is about the only word that describes the way I've been feeling. It is crazy hot and spending most of my time on roofs and in attics doesn't really help the situation. Most of you know how great I do with heat. Long days, to many long days, a new diet, and generally being tired have made me a bit of a pain to live with I think. So this post goes out to kaje.

I have a really great wife. I have been on a short fuse, everything is bothering me, I keep complaining about just about anything, and she will constantly give me the benefit of the doubt. I think this is because she is willing to understand why I'm being such a jerk, but you have to love the woman. I do. She is helping me actually stay on a diet and work out program (if I'm not suffering from heat stroke that day), and from what I've heard she sings my praises. Wild. She always has my back, always makes sure to support me in whatever I need, and generally is awesome. So basically I just want to say thanks to a beautiful woman.

So Fast!

Its hard to believe its almost the middle of July!

Fun night out tonight, for dinner, and then taking Batman to the doggy park. Its been a few months since he's been there, and the last time he went he was significantly smaller, so we thought he would be a little braver about playing with the other dogs. Nope, he still ran from the dogs, big or small. I mean, chihuahua size puppies. They must smell his fear. Poor Batman.

Only one more kitten to get rid of! When August comes all three animals are finally getting fixed, and then its outside for Dexter. I love my pets but its been crowded and I'm looking forward to narrowing down the amount of animals in the house. Can't wait till we get a real backyard so everyone can go out now and then.

There's nothing exciting going on this week, but next week we have Rob's "District Picnic" which should be interesting.

So thankful for my wonderful husband!

Happy 5th of July!

I guess this is the day Rob likes to celebrate his "holiday" because no one is around. Of course, there are no fireworks, celebrations, parades, vendors with delicious food, or anything else to mark this as a holiday, which is why he prefers it. I however had a great day yesterday, hanging out with Rob, eating some KFC, and seeing a half hour firework show with Uncle Marc, Aunt Dutch, Matt, Eric, and Rob.

The weather has been rainy for the last several weeks and I am waiting for the part of summer where its just hot with the 5 minute afternoon shower. I am getting cravings to go to another Disney park, but that will have to wait for awhile, at least until September and the tourists start leaving. I can't believe we have been in Orlando for almost a year! Only 3 more months and we get to find a new place to live.

I'm off to go enjoy the rest of my evening with Rob. Hopefully we will find out camera and take some new pictures soon.

A rebuttal to a bold wife

Allow me to begin by say that I do love my wife, bless her heart. However, with that detail attended to I think I should say a few things as she has recently posted what I would consider a lie. In her post "Ceiling Fairy" she was quoted as saying "We are very excited for the 4th of July." This is a drastic overstatement at best, a cold and calculating lie at worst.

If you'll stick with me for the next few lines I will explain in a brief and complete way why this is a false hood. To begin with she, and most of you, know that I do not often do my celebrating on the 4th unless it is thrust upon. I traditionally celebrate of the 5th of July as per SOP. This is where the first hole can be punched clean through this slanderous statement. The second and ultimately more condemning hole gets punched into her logic with simple verbiage. "excited" Now I put this forth to everyone reading, when was the last time I appeared to be excited about doing anything? Ok, perhaps you may be able to come up with something, but append that question like this "When was the last time I was excited about anything involving a large number of people?" and it becomes very clear that this was indeed a lie.

What makes this even more insidious is that she had the nerve to post this is full view of the internet. Hiding in plain site comes to mind. Sure I rarely read blogs, including my own, but walk the line long enough and you will fall off. You should be ashamed.

Ceiling Fairy

This morning our landlord came out to check out the kitchen ceiling damage before they send someone out for repairs. We spent the early hours cleaning to make sure everything was nicer than when we moved in, and it looks like, just maybe, some of the other problems with the condo will get fixed along with the ceiling. I guess 8 months late is better than not at all, hm?

We are very excited for the 4th of July. It's one of my favorite holidays- I love having a KFC picnic, watching fireworks, maybe a water park. Plus when its on a weekend then we get a day off a work!!!

We are on week 2 of our diet and so far it feels a lot better, plus it helps save us money. Now we just need to see whether it will work or not.

Looking forward to the next few days when we will get to see Dutch and her crew up here :-)

weekends

Kaje is forcing me to blog. I am not good at blogging. But apparently it is now part of things again. This weekend we celebrated our fake anniversary by spending a night on the coast with a semi-ocean view hotel. It was a nice change from the ghetto for a night. On a personal achievement note, i now own a pair of actual swim trunks for the first time in over 5 years. Back to the weekend. We went out to a local joint that reminded me a lot of Uncle Dudlies if they served fresh sea food. Kaje had been wanted to try crab for awhile, what she apparently didnt realize is that it comes with the legs still around the meat. So i spent the majority of the meal removing the meat for her (it made her a little a sick to even try to crack the leg open) while she sniped food off my sweet clam basket. How you gonna swipe a clam?

Anyway so we went for a walk on the beach later that night. Just happened to be a full moon which was cool. And what was cooler is that as we we're walking I looked behind us and happened to notice a large black shape pop out of the waves. Turns out it was a giant leather back sea turtle. it was cool. Thats about all I have.

Been Awhile...