Newsy update

So much for my hopes of writing more regularly. Oh well. Not much has really changed since my last post, except for the weather! I believe we're supposed to see a little snow this week, which is kind of exciting. I might feel differently come February, but right now I'm looking forward to a little of the white stuff. All the holiday music and crazy Christmas shoppers at Kohl's have gotten me in the mood for it, I guess.

I suppose my latest news is that I'm going back to school! Apparently journalists aren't in high demand in Dayton, Ohio, so I've decided to get the second degree I've wanted for quite some time while Andrew is still in school as well. I'll be starting massage school in a week, and I'm super excited about it! I'll graduate November 2010, take the Ohio state exam in December and be ready to heal the world after that! So I'm taking down appointments for anyone interested for January 2011. You can e-mail me at swyatt187@gmail.com. ;) I never thought I'd be back in school so soon, but it has just seemed to work out. Andrew should graduate shortly after I'm done, so then we'll both be free to do whatever (move, perhaps). At any rate, I'm sure I'll really enjoy it. I'm looking forward to learning some interesting stuff!

This week, rifle season for deer hunting begins in Pennsylvania, so any of you who know the Harpers know what that means for them: lots of dead deer to skin and process! I'll be heading over to Vanderbilt on Tuesday to spend some time with Anita in the butcher shop. I wasn't able to be there for it last year, so I'm super excited to go! It means a lot of work and staying awake into the wee hours of the morning, but it's loads of fun! I'm hoping to stay until Saturday to help out. My poor hubby will be lonesome without me (I hope), as this will be the first time we've ever been apart since we got married. I'm going to spend Monday cooking up casseroles and things he can heat up to eat this week because heaven knows he won't cook on his own! (And I don't want our little house to burn down while I'm gone, either...)

Real Life

Well, I think I've finally made it to real life. I'm no longer a college student, and I no longer depend on my parents for, well, anything. Except when I have to call home to ask Dad a computer question or ask mom how long to boil eggs to make hard-boiled eggs (no joke, I did that several days ago. And then I made egg salad.). So anyway, I've certainly been introduced to real life in the last month or so--cleaning house, doing laundry, cooking, working, paying bills, even having the workers overnight. Just getting used to living alone with another human has been interesting. And it's been a 99% positive experience thus far. The other 1%, when it's not so positive, is usually my own fault. But it's been great! I can't believe it's already been over a month ago that we tied the knot--this summer is flying by. Convention is just around the corner! Andrew and I have helped out at the Yellow Springs grounds a couple days in the past week, which was nice. The big work day is this Saturday, so we'll both go over for that, too. It takes only about 25 to 30 minutes to drive to the grounds from our house.

So I wanted to include a photo of our first worker visit from Dale Parker and John Wilbur. They spent last Saturday night with us and had lunch at our house Sunday after meeting. I made Tootsie's meat loaf recipe and mashed potatoes. The visit made it feel like Andrew and I were actual "grown ups" and we had a nice time with them. John figured he wouldn't be in our field again since this was his fifth year in the area, so he wanted to get to our house before preps started. It turns out we'll have Curtis Bauske and Mike Price in our field this next year. I'm glad our little house is sort of big enough for company. One of the workers will always have to sleep in the living room on the pull-out couch because we only have one spare bedroom, but it works. I hope they'll feel comfortable enough to visit often!

That'll be enough for this entry, I think. I hope I have more time now to write regularly, but we'll see what happens!

Winter Break

Wow--I can't believe it's been so long since I wrote a little something, but I guess that's how it goes sometimes. Perhaps once I get beyond this stage of my life I'll have a little more time to devote to my blog. But then again, they say life just keeps getting busier, so who knows? I do know, however, that the break from school the last couple of weeks has been glorious. Never before have I looked so forward to the end of a semester. I've actually begun reading a book (for pleasure!) for the first time in months.
Anyways, I don't really have any big news besides the fact that I'm getting married this year! :) Somehow the fact that it's 2009 now makes the wedding date seem much closer than it was just a few days ago. Most of the crucial details have been taken care of, so the next thing on my plate is bridesmaid dresses. I have my choices narrowed down to two different styles, but haven't yet decided completely on what colors I want to go with. At any rate, things are falling into place nicely..and I'm betting June 19 will be here before I know it.
Classes start again for me on the 12th--my final semester at dear ol' Penn State! Bob Burk commented after meeting on Wednesday that the Lindberg family sure has supported the State College meeting over the years...Uncle Ben, Dad, Joni, me and now Ross. Speaking of whom, Ross came down to State College last week and I went with him to tour his future dwellingplace, which happens to be a "sister" apartment complex to where I live. So he took me out to Baby's (a diner/restaurant) and we did a little shopping before he left town again. Some nice cousin bonding time. Since Joni's not around much anymore, I guess I've got to step up and fill her shoes. Ah, Ross and I always have a good time together...seems like now that he's a college kid, he's more on my level instead of being one of the older cousins I used to idolize. And it helps that he and Andrew get along almost like brothers. It's defintely comforting when your family likes the guy you've chosen to spend the rest of your life with. :)
I'm off to do a little reading before I hit the hay...

Weekend festivities

As usual, life has been hectic, so I apologize to anyone who has been anxiously awaiting my next post...hah. I've gotten into the swing of things at work and am still very much enjoying it. I've also reached the midterm point of the semester, so I've only got seven weeks of classes left before final exams. The semester is actually passing fairly quickly, but some days it seems like it can't pass quickly enough.
At any rate, tonight I have to buckle down and get some work done before I jet off to Harper Valley tomorrow morning for a weekend of pumpkin carving, sitting around a campfire and eating lots of goodies. Anita (with the help of her sister, Emily) is hosting the shindig for us to get together with the Ohio kids (Andrew, his sister, Bekah, and cousin, Lisa) and of course, Ross. So it's sure to be a good time. I'm hoping I can discipline myself to take some photos (often I forget my camera when I need it most) so I can post some for you all to enjoy.
For now, I'm off to history class!

Work, work, work

This week has been pretty crazy, hence my lack of blogging. Papers to write, exams to take, and on top of that, work to do at Kohl's! I worked both Monday and yesterday this week, and I work every day tomorrow through Monday! Yesterday was the grand opening, so it was nuts--people waiting to get in the store when we opened the doors at 8 a.m.! So I spent the day running around, assisting customers and putting the discarded clothes from the fitting rooms back on the sales floor. And when I left at 4 p.m., it was still busy. Needless to say, time flew by. But probably after these first few weeks, it will die down some and we can all catch our breath...and get ready for the Christmas rush! At any rate, I really like what I do--I'm all about order and organization--and tomorrow I get to run the register for the first time, so that should be fun.
School is going well, fortunately. I actually can't believe week 6 is already here and gone and I've only got 9 more to go before the holiday break! Then comes my final semester at dear ol' Penn State. I found out last week that I graduate May 16 at noon in the Bryce Jordan Center...and there's no limit to how many people can come, so whoever wants to see yours truly end her college career (at least for now)...you're officially invited. It's funny how it doesn't seem that long ago that I was traipsing around the little DuBois campus...and then when I moved down here to University Park, I spent the first couple weeks freaking out and getting ulcers because I didn't think I'd be able to juggle everything. Just ask Andrew how bad it was--I was a mess. Looking back, I just chuckle at myself because obviously it all turned out just fine. But anyways.
I start work tomorrow bright and early at 8 a.m. so I should probably hit the sack fairly soon...

Sally

I felt slightly out of the loop today when I heard the word about Sally Clites passing away in a mass e-mail from Ashley Gordon, who is in Ecuador at university. I guess if it takes getting the news from another country, so be it. But anyway, I visited the Clites' blog tonight and what Dick posted today brought tears to my eyes. (If you'd like to read it, there is a link to their blog on mine.) I can only imagine what it must be like to live with someone for over 42 years and then wake up every morning after they're gone and feel like a huge chunk of your world is missing. It makes you appreciate those who mean the most to you, when you think about what it'll be like when they're no longer with you.
Dick and Sally came to preps for a couple years before she got sick and we always enjoyed their smiles and wonderful spirits. Everyone there called me Cheech, of course, and one time Sally asked what my real name was because she couldn't remember it...*smile* I'm not sure if she ever knew it, really. But anyway, I didn't see Sally when she was sick, and since I won't be able to attend her funeral, I can just keep the memories I have of Sally laughing and talking, always smiling, in my mind. She will be missed.
On that note, all other news I may have pales in comparison, so I guess I'll leave it at that. Meeting in the morning is at Florence's, so I look forward to the spirit there that's so different from what I'm around every day. Have a good night.

Trash Trouble

Well, we had another burglar at our apartment yesterday, but luckily this time nothing valuable was stolen.
Last night before I went to bed, I emptied our over-flowing garbage can (i.e. struggled to get the bag out of the can, shook it around a bit to get the trash to condense enough so I could tie the top of the bag) and plopped the bag outside our front door. I don't exactly enjoy making the trek to the dumpster in the dark, so it's not unusual to leave a trash bag on our front stoop until morning and toss it in on the way to catch the bus. And we've never had a problem before.
This morning, I open the front door to head out for the day to find a stoop littered with garbage, my forlorn trash bag slumped over with several large holes in the side. Obviously I didn't have time to take care of it then, so I locked up and headed to the bus stop.
Of course when I got home this afternoon, the situation was still the same, so I did my best to put the tattered trash bag inside another one (not an easy task when garbage is falling out everywhere) and gather up all the stray garbage. Yum. Now it's all come to rest in the bottom of a Waste Management dumpster. Rest in peace.
So that was my excitement for the day. The moral of the past week's story is: #1. Never leave your front door unlocked. Random people like to enter to see what they can find; sometimes they even find you asleep in your bed, but don't worry--they don't stay long after that. And #2. Don't leave bulging trash bags out where little furry creatures can find them. For some reason they seem to enjoy smelly, half-rotten garbage.

As a side note...my wedding gown arrived in the mail at home on Friday! I tried it on, of course, and it fits really well, much to my relief. Alterations will be minor, which will save me time and money. So that's one item I can check off my list of the 247 things I have to take care of before June 12. Just kidding, it's not that bad. I'm actually really enjoying planning the big day. Maybe I'm missing my calling and should become a wedding planner...