Our First House (Before the Makeover)

Since we moved back to IL we have been looking for a place to buy rather than rent. We were lucky enough to have flexible landlords at our duplex so we were not tied into a rental if we happened to find 'the place'. We started out on our journey not really knowing what we were looking for, just where. Kinda....

Micah grew up in Morton so he wanted to remain in his hometown. I grew up in Germantown Hills and as a serious Metamora Football Fan, I was not planning on living anywhere out of the school district. We also decided to look into houses in Dunlap and considered a few in East Peoria and Washington. Nothing really stuck out to us as we looked at newer houses, really nasty old houses, cute, ugly, big, small....you know the drill. When we found one that was somewhat where we wanted to be price wise, something would go wrong. But, finally, by May we had a little luck.

Micah's grandpa owns some apartments in Morton and happened to know of a house that was not on the market but that would be for sale shortly (estate sale). So being the helpful grandpa that he is, he requested a private showing for us before it went on the market. So we got to see the house in all it's glory....the stench of elderly, the clutter old people seem to accumulate over time, and trash everywhere as the kids were trying to pack up all of the stuff they wanted and get rid of everything they didn't. My Favorite was the blue carpet and horrid wallpaper...definitely a fixer upper. Hubby had been complaining that he wanted a place that he would be able to fix up but i don't think he knew what he was getting into. So, the day the house went on the market we put in an offer and go the house.

We got possession on the 15th of May and moved in on the 30th. (Never again will I move into a house that is a construction zone) Let's just say the house was/is a mess and we are SLOWLY getting to a point where we feel like having people come over. The roof needed to be redone and ended up being a 3 week project as Micah had no help....literally. Then it was time to get a few rooms livable. The paint on the walls and ceilings was peeling off....so micah scraped, sanded, put in new drywall, primed, ripped up carpet....stripped two of the bedrooms and living room while i ripped down wallpaper and paint when i had the chance. It was rather difficult to assist in some of the projects as I was working 70 hour weeks and taking 3 classes.

Anyhow, we are finally mostly unpacked (expect for the rooms that cannot be set up yet) and can say that we actually have decent looking rooms. The master bedroom, one guest bedroom, and the living room now have new carpet, new paint, and are set up with furniture (decorations are still in the works). We have also removed the radiant heat system and put in a furnace in order to add space to the rooms. I have some before pics but haven't take after pics yet ( will in a few days).

House from the front. This is pre-new roof and landscaping.

backyard- it is actually a really good sized yard but also has horrid landscaping. we will be redoing that next spring when we get a chance. I refuse to do anything to it until the inside looks nice (just in case CAT makes us move again)

The living room. I had actually forgotten how much I hated it until i saw this picture again. The carpet, paint, and furniture really make the room look 100 times better. (can't wait to share)

Guest bedroom (above and below) as you can see the blue carpet needed to be retired.

Master Bedroom (above and below)

Check back for updates soon. Micah is still building me a closet (trying to maximize space). We are also trying to finish up the trip and put in the light fixtures and Baseboard. Once that is complete i will show you pictures (pre-decoration).

To Do List:

guest bedroom #2/office

hallway

kitchen

dining room

2 bathrooms

landscaping

finish basement

We are hoping to have all the rooms done by Christmas and then will redo the kitchen once we replenish our funds....but for a fun little pic of how horrid the kitchen is....I am making it work but before we sell it needs some serious TLC. I believe the stove and dishwasher are the first ever made.

It's Official...

I have not blogged in almost 3 months. In fact, the last blog was about Zach heading off to the Police Academy for training. Guess what...He's back!!! So 12 weeks later I write this blog in honor of him, yet again. This time however, he is wearing his uniform proudly as a Peoria City Police Officer. We are so proud of you Zach!!!!

I think it is often hard for people to appreciate officers when they are having speeding tickets handed to them...but in all honesty, we are blessed to have them protecting us. I also don't think people understand what these officers go through just to get the job that will only guarantee them stress for the rest of their lives. At PTI (the Police Training Institute) they are maced, tazed, beaten up, and worked to the bone. They go through this training to better serve the people and to protect themselves when dealing with individuals who would have no problem killing them. It is a dangerous job and the more experience they have, the safer it will be for them.

So now that Zach is done with his 'real world' training, he will be placed into the Real World for a year with a training officer. This officer will basically help him build the skills he needs to be on his own in the streets of Peoria. This year is crucial to his career as the City hold the right to 'relieve him' of duty if he doesn't pass the field training. Good Luck Brother. We will be praying for your safety and sanity over the year!

The stage waiting for the ceremony to begin....basically I was testing the lighting to be sure i was going to get decent pictures when the time came :o)

Processional...I believe this was the Decatur police department being honored here. Probably for working in such a horrid town.

The really big man speaking. I think being around him alone would scare me enough to go home and find a new profession.

Brother getting his diploma. (Sorry Director of PTI...your hair is blonde and your face got bleached out....I feel your pain.)

Presenting the Officers :o)

I know I annoy him with my picture taking of every little detail, but someday he will appreciate it.

Horray BROTHER!!!

I believe this was just after my family told me that I was bossy. Once again, they will appreciate it someday. I made them all go sit down early (we got front row seats). And I made them go outside for pictures (everyone looks a lot better than they did inside). And I think we took about 100 pictures of every variety to be sure there were some good ones. So, you are WELCOME family now you have lots of pics to frame.

My favorite people in the world. Can't believe Zach finally has a real job (hehe) and Bubby is going off to college. AHH Soon, maybe I will have little nieces and nephews to play with (after marriage of course).

The crew. (L-R) Bryce and his girlfriend Rachel, Zach's girlfriend Brittany, Zach, Me, Micah. I could not ask for better siblings and We are SOOO Blessed to have wonderful significant others. I love you all!

I am so glad we were all able to get off work, school, and out of any other obligations to be there for Zach.

*Not pictured (in this blog) are Mom, Leon, Grandma, Aunt Georgia, Dad, and Aunt Connie.

Zach's Turn

Bryce already got his 'brag' spot on my blog, and I promised Zach would get his turn soo here goes.

The three of us kids were...well...unruly as children. I highly doubt 'unruly' does our craziness justice, but the blog would be entirely too long if I went into detail. I am sure you all guessed that I was the angelic one who was always brought into trouble by my crazy brothers, clearly not my fault (mom don't laugh). Ok, so not really. We all took our turns leading the 'adventures' and enjoyed testing anyone who crossed our path. Bryce had a 'terror time' in his early years and I am sure they will be revisited while he is at college. I made sure to leave my mark over the years but would consider my 'terror time' the teen years. And, Zach, he has had a constant 'terror time' in my opinion, but his reign of terror was definitely in his early 20's, so now it is time for him to settle down :o) And I believe he is on his way to normalcy.

On Easter, we all got to witness Zach's baptism. He has been involved in a men's bible study and working really hard on bettering himself. He has a fabulous girlfriend (if any of you know me...it is quite difficult to obtain my approval when it comes to my brother's girlfriends). My opinion, good or bad, is always known. Love ya Brittany! Needless to say we (I) are very pleased with the road big brother has chosen.

Zach's job has been another 'battle' so to speak. For a few years after college he spent all his time working a Lowe's...obviously this is not what he went to school for. But eventually he got on at Peoria County Jail as a correction officer. With his law enforcement degree he was hoping to be on the streets but nothing was working out so he took the jail job. It was always entertaining when people would ask where the boys were...We would answer "Oh Bryce is still at Metamora playing football and Zach is still out at the County Jail" We often had to clarify this was a job not a punishment. Some people had looks of horror if we did not catch it early.

While Zach was working at the Jail he was constantly trying to get on at a department where he could work the streets (as a police officer of course). This process takes forever. Literally, the applicants must go through physical, emotional, psychological, and knowledge based tests. They had to pass lie detector tests, physicals that lasted 2-4 hours, and interviews. If they fail any or do not meet expectations they must start all over again. Zach was so close a while back and his lie detector test was 'inconclusive' so he started all over again. He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally passed everything this spring. HORRAY

On May 7th, the whole family go to go to City hall and watch him get sworn into the Peoria City Police Department. It was quite exciting!

Zach and two other guys swearing their lives away.

The whole family there to Support Zachy-poo. (L-R) Aunt Connie, Bryce, Me, Dad, Zach, Mom, Aunt Georgia (missing Leon because he is snapping pics)

The Sibs. Bubba's eyes are close but that's ok, we know he is special.

The badge....soo exciting

And of course it was in the middle of the day so i had two little munchkins following me around. Luckily they were very very well behaved. And Miss Caitlin thought her glasses would be a great addition to the outfit. Those of you with difficult children know that it was not even worth it to request that she take them off while in City Hall...just not even worth the battle.

So now Zachy is away at police training for 3 months. If he doesn't die or get kicked out he will be back and ready to work the streets in August. Police Training is a lot like Military boot camp so we pray he doesn't go insane. After all, Zach is the most 'delicate' out of use three siblings. Haha Love you Zach! Congrats and Good Luck

It's a WILD LIFE....

Especially when you spend the day at Wildlife Prairie Park with tons of children under the age of 5. I take the twins to a 'playgroup' Tuesday through Friday for a little socialization. Since they are not in kindergarten yet, it is important that they are around other kids (because they get sick of one another quite easily). East Peoria High School has a Child Development class and they request to have small children brought in for an hour and a half four days a week so the high schoolers can learn. Most of the HS students want to go into early childhood education when they start the program....Needless to say, not all of them stick with that career choice by the end.

Anyhow, the girls LOVE the program and their 'teachers'...as do I. Because it gives me at least an hour to run an errand without two little ones begging to do what they want to do. Another thing I love about the play group is that there are 2 fieldtrips. The first fieldtrip was to the Bloomington Children's Museum (Wonderful place!!!) and I got to go along. The second fieldtrip was to Wildlife Prairie Park. Since it is impossible to enjoy these places for just an hour, the fieldtrips last from 8 AM til 3 PM. And the best part is...i get to watch the girls without having to really watch them because they each have their own 'teacher.'

This is the whole group of munchkins with their HS teachers. We were missing a few kids this day. And it was chilly and sprinkled on us....but no one seemed to mind :o)

They started the morning with a Pre-School educational program which was awesome. The kids liked it, but I think I enjoyed it more :o) They talked about senses and about different animals and how they use their senses. So there was an owl (MY FAVORITE....I almost went over and hugged it I was so excited, but thought better of the situation), skunk, toad, and snake.

My Pretty little Owl Friend....its name is Oliver :o) And he hooted numerous times and the kids when wild. It was too cute.

Mr. Skunk...don't remember her real name because i was too busy watching the owl. But she was a cute also. The kids all plugged their noses when they brought her out, and one little girl hid under her chair. Rather amusing since the skunk didn't stink, and just laid there the whole time. Oh Kids...

Since it was such a nasty day, most of the animal outside were hard to find. But around lunch time they can out to feed....I think all the children we looking mighty yummy to the wolves. They were pacing along the fence. The kids didn't stay far from their teachers while we were here.

After all the walking and animal watching, it was time to ride the train and then head home. But before we headed home, we needed a little more excitement. SO we headed to the HUGE slide which the kids loved. Well, most of the kids. Delaney loved it, but Caitlin....she didn't get to enjoy it much.

The story goes like this. The first time we took a bathroom break, Caitlin had a little...freak out session (that's putting it nicely). If any of you have been to the Wildlife, you know the bathrooms in the museum area are not 1st class...or 2 class for that matter. They are basically glorified port-a-potties. Huge holes in the ground made to look like toilets. Well, Caitlin has sensory issues anyhow and these toilets were not too appealing. But when you have to pee you have to pee...so she went into the stall. About 30 seconds later we hear screaming...and this is not just a little squeal or two, I'm talking there is a bear chasing me kinda scream. Of course she was so frantic she could not unlock the door and we could not get in. Finally she came out in tears and informs us that there was a bug crawling up the toilet to get her. Well we survived that one but the second bathroom break was not as fun. Since the first event had her so worked up, she would not even go into a stall the second time. Finally I was able to get her into the stall as long as i was in there too (just in case). Well this still didn't help because she would sit on the toilet and cry and then jump off. But eventually i got her to go. Have I said lately how much i love children...I really do.

When we are at home, Caitlin probably goes to the bathroom about every hour. So i didn't let her drink too much because i knew there were going to be issues on this trip. But that didn't help much. Just as we were about to leave, Caitlin's teacher comes and gets me while everyone else is sliding...as i turn around to go with her Caitlin comes walking over to me. SOAKED...not even kidding. The child wet her pants. She was sooo scared of the toilet she would not even say that she had to go to the bathroom in fear of having to go back. So she peed her pants. I must say she handled it better than i would have. Didn't cry or anything just stayed by my side the whole way home....as i made her sit on a cardboard box (i know i know but i didn't want to clean the seats when she got up) So a 40 minute bus ride home and a 10 minute car ride and we were showered and clean once again. I wish i would have gotten a pic of her standing because it was priceless....but i could only snap one of her sitting on the bus with me. She allowed just one picture as long as her face was not in it. So here we go...

And as you can imagine, it was all down her legs in her shoes....everywhere. I just cannot WAIT to have kids of my own. Never a dull moment. But lesson learned....even at the age of 5 you should pack extra clothes when going on a fieldtrip.

Relay For Life

I Relay because my life has been forever changed by cancer. My body has not become the victim of cancer, but cancer has victimized many of my family and friends. I would do anything to take the pain away from the ones I love and Relay is just one event I can take part in to honor others.

Relay gives me the unique opportunity to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and support the American Cancer Society’s lifesaving mission by fighting back against a disease that has already taken too much from too many families.

One night of Relay is the least I can do to honor everyone who spends years and lifetimes battling cancer. I Relay for YOU: in memory of Family and Friends whose time on earth was cut short, to support the loves of my life who are currently fighting their battle, and to celebrate with everyone I hold dear to my heart who have won their battle.

I usually try to pick special people to honor each year at Relay. This year I am walking especially for Mrs. Bell, Katie Immel, and Angie Wenzel. Mrs. Bell was a great childhood mentor of mine. She and her husband often acted as grandparents to me as we baked cookies, celebrated grandparents day at school, and enjoyed Monical's pizza. Mrs. Bell gets her strength from God as she is currently battling bone cancer. Katie is my Chi Omega sorority sister. We spent a month in Nicaragua together a few years ago, and many many sorority functions. Strong does not even begin to describe Katie, as she is battling Leukemia. Angie was one of our Chi Omega Advisors at Carthage. Such a wonderful woman who would do anything to improve the future of the Women of Chi Omega. We lost Angie just a few weeks ago to Brain Cancer. I love all three of you...

Last year I watched my dreams come true as Carthage College had their first Relay For Life on campus. I had worked for 4 years with American Cancer Society to get Relay at Carthage, and with the help of a wonderful team, we pulled it off. Even though I could not join Carthage this year to celebrate a second Relay, this year I am joining Pekin's Relay For Life. My close friends, Jennie and Betsy, have a team there for a member of their family and are allowing us to join their team. I cannot wait!

Please help me reach some new goals this year by supporting my fundraising efforts. Your donations will help the American Cancer Society fund groundbreaking cancer research, provide up-to-date cancer information, advocate for all people to have access to screening and treatment, and offer free programs and services to improve the quality of life for people facing cancer. By being a part of Relay, we are joining a worldwide movement to help defeat cancer for future generations.

Donate Here!!

My Best Friends Wedding....Round 2

Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Hogan

One of my favorite movies of all time.... My Best Friends Wedding. If you have seen it, you probably loved it. And if you haven't...you need to rent it :o) I have seen it so many time I can watch it in my head (if they find a way to project brain waves onto the big screen you could just watch it with me)

If they make a Hollywood presentation of the 'best guy friend' situation, there have to be many of us out there who have them. Best guy friends are the "big brothers" we actually liked spending time with in our younger years. They are the guys that your parents thought you were dating because you were always on the phone or hanging out with them. They are the guys that your friends said you should date because "you are always together anyhow, why not make a relationship out of it". They are the guys you never thought about dating (and if you did you cringed because it would be like dating your brother) and never wanted to attempt to date because of the risk of ruining the friendship.

That is Ryan to me... We have been friends for about 10 years. I could not ask for a better friend. Met him my freshman year of high school in our youth group. He was a senior (my brothers age) and made my freshman year bearable. After high school, he went into the Air Force and our daily phone chats turned into once a week chats. I longed for those phone calls to give him the latest gossip and to hear how horrid his days were :o) Eventually he came back home and continued to be the big brother who was always looking to protect me. (I never did what he said but listened to him ramble anyhow) He knew he could give me all the advice in the world and I would probably just do whatever I wanted anyhow.... but he always told me what he thought. He was there when Andy died (close friend and youth group member) and we spent many evenings just sitting...watching movies, talking, or literally just sitting. Somehow knowing that we were both hurting and both understood the other was the comfort we needed. I am so grateful to have a friend like Ryan.

We even made the "If I'm not married by the age of 30 and your not married we might as well just marry each other" pact. Both knowing the chance of that happening was not so great, we continued to joke about it. I had Micah, and after some tough relationships Ryan had Heather. Lucky for Heather I LOVE her to death and she is perfect for my best friend. Lunch dates, mini golfing, and just hanging out still filled our free time and sometimes we would even convince our significant others to join in on the 'dates'. (Thanks to both Micah and Heather for being understanding of our friendship!!!)

Dancing with My Ry-Pie

In December of 2007 I called Ryan to break the news that I was not going to be able to marry him because Micah just proposed. Before I could get out my exciting news, he told me he was going to ask Heather to marry him and was needing advice on asking her. When he was finished with his news and discussion, I shared my news. It was one of the best conversations ever as we got to share the the next step in our lives with one another.

Myself and my boys at MY wedding :o)

Wedding planning galore and then my wedding arrived. And then more wedding planning for Ryan and Heather and now they are official. It was such an exciting day, unlike in My Best Friends Wedding...I was not there to break up the wedding and take the groom for myself. (Again, it's a good thing Heather is such an amazing person because had she not been on my 'favored list' we may have had some issues) Beautiful wedding, gorgeous bride, and wonderful groom.... I teared up a little with excitement. My best friend is happy and that makes me quite happy as well.

So, Heather, thank you for making Ryan so happy, for taking care of him, and putting up with him...you are a saint. And Ryan, I am thrilled you found Heather...she is your perfect match. And it's a good thing we found our soul mates because I really don't think I would have lasted long if I married you myself :o) And I know you would have gone insane since I am soooo 'high maintenance'. So take care of one another and love each other until the end!!! And I am sure double dates are in our future because I don't think life would be complete without them.

Love you both so much!

Some of my favorite people in the world. Nick, Ryan, Beth, and Howard. A.K.A. YGP Lifers :o) (For those of you who are not familiar with YGP, it is what we named our youth group)

Job #3

With my nannying position coming to a close (beginning of June) I decided it was time to figure out more ways to entertain myself. OSF was the answer. I will be doing the same job (basically) as I currently do at proctor, but with more trauma and patient care. The OSF Emergency room is the place to be if you want to see all the cool injuries that come out of the Peoria Area. I am more than thrilled with this job. I will be working as needed which basically means that i will be called in at least once a week and possibly more depending on the need.

I will be remaining at Proctor as well and will be switching to Part Time (from PRN). I am already working Full Time/Part Time status most weeks so they decided to just switch me so i get the Paid Time Off and other benefits.

So once nannying is complete I will just be working the Hospitals and going to school. I will be taking 12 hours at ICC throughout the summer. I am sure to stay busy (I Hope).

*Micah and I are also in the process of buying our first home. 500 Brentwood in Morton. If all goes well we will be moving in on May 15th. I will post many pics and more info at that time. And there will be numerous updates made to the home so i am sure we will have some before and after blogs in the near future.