Growing Up

The time has come, I believe, for another post about growing up. Because no matter how many times I'm reminded daily that I'm growing up and getting older, I still seem surprised. It's like there are a set of giant steps that each of us must climb. And you can always tell by the events that are going on around you when it's time to take another step. The first big change happens around high school - entering a new building, taking harder classes, etc. And then it's taking your driver's test - wondering how many times you'll have to take it before you pass! Then it's graduation and we're all heading off to college. At college came a lot of other changes - freedom, even harder classes and more homework, new friends and making and learning from mistakes. Then it was the 21st parties, then college graduation and having to find a "real job". And then it was engagements which came along with bridal showers and bachelorette parties and finally the wedding. 

Now I'll admit. All of those steps were pretty easy to handle. None of those steps seemed like that large of step. Maybe had to stretch my legs for a couple of them, but fairly easy. It's these next steps. The next phase of life that's really changing everything up. It's the process of buying our first homes. It's the idea of starting a family. Of having to be so responsible for another person's life. That's a BIG step.

I've had my first couple of baby showers already so I know I'm officially in this next stage of life. That's not to say that AJ and I are ready to have kids - because we're not. :) But I know we're at that point where we're starting to have those serious conversations about our future and what we want for our family someday. And I will admit, although AJ and I are not yet at that stage in life, we are so far enjoying that stage with some of our friends. :)

Liz, Thor & Amanda

My best friend and roommate from college, Amanda and her husband welcomed a baby boy to this world at the end of February. Amanda is one of my closest friends and we've always agreed that we've wanted our children to grow up together. And so it was assumed that we would have close relationships with each other's children as well. So before Thor was born, we tried to come up with a nickname for the baby to call AJ and I. See, Amanda has a really big family and this baby was already going to have a lot of aunts and uncles and we wanted to have something a little different. And so we looked and thought and looked some more, but found nothing. There are just no good nicknames out there for close family friends! However, AJ happened to stumble upon the word clans-people and made a joke that should be our nickname. Well, it stuck. :) Thor is now our clans-baby and AJ and I are his proud Clans-Uncle and Clans-Aunt (or Clans-People). Although Thor is just a couple of months old, AJ and I are looking forward to watching this little one grow up and being apart of his life. 

I would also like to add that part of this growing up has domesticated me in some ways. I have even been able to surprise my mother with that fact! :) I have learned how to cross-stitch and have been cross-stitching bibs for my friends. This one was my first one and it was for Thor.



Another great friendship story is one that is about all of my high school friends. 

The Oven Mitt

There is a group of us that have managed to stay pretty close since high school and trying to get together as much as possible - although you have no idea how difficult that has become since we're literally all over the place! But I think we've done pretty good. And we had this fun little tradition that we started when the first one of us was set to be married (although I'm not sure we knew it would become a tradition). Naomi was given an oven mitt at her bachelorette party that said "Newlyweds heat it up in the kitchen". Then she passed it on to Shateen, the next in line getting married. And soon it became a rotating gift between us. It was fun to always expect that gift to show up when we celebrated the next one to get married.

But now, before we knew it, we're starting to have baby showers for each other. Well we wanted to keep the tradition alive and had thought about what else we could pass along at each other's baby showers. Finally we decided on a quilt with a quote on the back where each child will leave their foot print and name. I wrote a little something to go along with the blanket as well.

What started out as a fun little gag gift,
has turned into an anticipated tradition
It started off in high school with our silly boyfriend drama
Then it became celebrations on getting our driver's licenses and debating who would drive to whichever house we would be TPing
Next came the graduation parties, learning to temporarily say good bye as we each headed out to explore the world
With that came more boyfriend drama and
hours of homework on top of that
But then we were turning 21 and learning how to celebrate
and make mistakes as adults
We starting celebrating bachelorette parties and making sure we would be "heating up the kitchen" as newlyweds
After that it was debating about what color flowers we wanted and praying it didn't rain on our big day
Now it's become something bigger than the rest
We're making homes and starting families
Soon our stories will be about first steps and first words
They'll become stories of spelling bees won
and first playground crushes
And before we know it, we'll be dreading those first driver's licenses and graduation parties
But throughout the past and forever in our future,
one thing has stayed the same
Our friendships grow stronger with time and
we can see no end in sight
As this next chapter in our lives begin, we pray God will continue to bless our friends and our new families
And we pray all these children will grow to know,
these friends we hold so dear

High School Friends Baby Quilt

Inscription on the back

Father's Day

Since we recently had a post dedicated to our mothers for Mother's Day it is only appropriate that we do the same for our fathers. Both of these are great men who have blessed us throughout our lives. Here we go.

Steve Reedstrom

Dad. It's hard for me to put in words how amazing of a father you've been to me. I remember thinking as a little kid that you were a man of little words. But looking back now, maybe I just wasn't listening enough. When I actually start to listen, you speaks words of encouragement, of faith, of life lessons, of love. And your words speaks even more volumes through your actions. Because of you, I learned what to expect from a husband. I learned to find myself a good husband who will cook for our kids someday, like you did. (and still do!) I learned to find someone who is always helpful and supportive, like you have always been. I learned to find a hard working husband so that our kids will look up to him and know the value of hard work, like I have with you. I have learned to find a husband who cherishes and unconditionally loves his family, like you do.
I have so many memories of us that I could share but I think I'll just pick out my favorite ones. I loved growing up (and even now) and having friends over and having them be able to call you Dad. You were always the friendly and fun Dad who would always joke around with my friends and scare off any boyfriends. :) I love watching you interact with little kids, whether it's at church or a family event. And it makes me excited to have children someday so that they'll be able to have such a fun and loving grandpa!
Growing up  I always knew that during the fall and then again in the spring, you would be busy with farm work and not at home as often. But it was also during those times that I looked forward to some of the other things we got to do. Like bringing you dinner in the field and you letting us ride along in the combine or tractor. I remember the first time that you let me drive the combine by myself and even stepped outside the cab so that I was completely alone inside! I was terrified I was going to screw up your harvest! :) But you had faith in me and trust that I wouldn't. And I don't think I ever did, right? Or those summers where you paid us to help walk beans. It was no fun walking beans, but it was a nice chance to be with you. And it was then that I started to realize the importance of hard work. The Dairy Queen ice cream mom would bring us always seemed to help too!
I have one memory that I believe was the summer before or after my freshmen year of high school. I don't remember but I couldn't drive yet but it was my first summer working at Pioneer. It was within my first week that we got rained out and were sent home early. You came to pick me up and it must have been a day that you were farming but we were both so muddy! And I can't tell you why I thought this, but I remember thinking how cool that was - father and daughter muddy with proof from a hard day in the field. In that moment, I felt so connected to you.
Another favorite memory is when you returned home from a Via de Cristo weekend. As soon as mom left for her weekend, you ran out to your truck and brought in your bag of goodies. You spread it all over the table and told us all about your weekend - what you did, the people who were there and what it meant to you and your relationship with God. It was the first time I remember you talking so much out loud about your faith. But at that same time, I realized that you don't always have to speak about your faith. That day proved to me that a silent faith can be just as deep and powerful as a spoken one. I saw you differently from that day on.
And finally, there was my wedding day. The memories of you walking me down the aisle and giving me away, your seven page speech (which you said you weren't even going to give!) full of advice and wisdom to a new husband and wife and our father-daughter dance. Each one so special by themselves. I remember those memories often.
You have blessed me so much throughout my life and I know that you will continue to do so. Again, I don't know how to put into words how much I appreciate all that you've done for me (and all that you will do) and how grateful I am. And of course, how much I love you. I thank God for you every day because I could not have asked for a better father and a role model. And I will love you until the sky ends.
Happy Father's Day!

Bruce Zaruba

A few years ago, during a college class, I was asked, " Who is your favorite person in life?" Without hesitation I said, my Dad. He is my Hero! A man who has been an incredible role model and quite honestly means the world to me. I do have to admit that I have not done a good job of letting him know that. Let me change that. So here we go...
There are so many memories I have from the past with Dad. Like when he would get done doing chores and after eating lunch - all of us kids would climb all over him and drink pickle juice which of course gave us super strength so we could interrupt his naps (sorry about that by the way). Or riding in the tractor or combine with him back in the Zaruba farming days; really it was more about just being with him and learning about what a real MAN did! But there was one memory that is still very special to me. It wasn't pickle juice. It wasn't even on the farm. It is forever attached to one of my cherished memories from my childhood, and that is the day I was selected for the Iowa All-State. Quite possibly THE life altering moment for me - I believe that day is what defined the career path I chose.
Dad was the very first person that I hugged after seeing my name on that list. Amongst the screaming, the hugging and the celebrating - was still that initial embrace. I know, a hug seems so simple - but let me tell you, this hug was slow motion for me because it was more than just a simple hug. My life had just been changed for good. For me, it was one of the those moments where i truly reverted back to kindergarten - I was just a small boy in my Dad's arms. To top it off, I remember him saying, "Good job, Son!" which made the moment authentic.
There were sons in that same gym, at that very moment which did not have their dad there. I did. Thank you, Dad.
I hope that you will always know, whatever I do, where I go, there is one thing I will never outgrow and that is my love for you. In my eyes, you are the most talented individual I have ever known, no son could have ever asked God fora  better Dad than you.
Dad, I want to be a son that you are proud of, and sometimes I wonder if I have ever let you down or if maybe you have ever been ashamed of the person I have become. All I know for certain is so much of me is made from what I learned from you. And I love you.
Let me write that one more time to be sure you really "hear me".
So much of me is made from what I learned from you and I love you.
Happy Father's Day!

Summer & Graduation

Summer is here! Well maybe not the "official" date of summer, but it sure feels like it! AJ is done with school and is enjoying some time off by staying up late and sleeping in. :) It is extremely hot - at least down here in Omaha. And my little brother is officially graduated from high school!

Over the Memorial weekend, AJ and I traveled to Tipton to spend some time with our family there. It was really great to see them but we were a little disappointed that it wasn't quite warm enough to use the pool! :) But we had a great time hanging out with our parents - doing some shopping and cleaning out some cars. On Sunday we attended Mass in Solon in remembrance of the one year anniversary of the death of AJ's Grandpa. It was really great to have so much of the family together and the service was pretty eventful. A very loud storm came through involving pounding rain, high winds and even hail. So that was exciting. After church, we ran (literally, because it was still raining!) up the road to the Firemen's Breakfast - which they had moved indoors because of the storm and enjoyed some yummy pancakes! And we made a stop out at the graveyard to say hello to Grandpa as well.

While we were in Tipton we switched vehicles with AJ's dad so that we could haul some stuff up to Minnesota the following weekend. We learned quickly to enjoy our small and gas efficient cars versus the large truck! But we were grateful to be able to borrow it.

This past weekend we drove up to Minnesota for the weekend. We arrived on Friday night and were woken up early on Saturday to help get the house ready for Dan's graduation party. It started out by setting up a tent - which actually wasn't too bad. What was bad were all the gnats. They were no fun. But we got the tent sent up and some of those bug repellent candles and torches set up and it was much better! We had the party from about 11am to 2pm and it was a lot of fun. We had a lot of people stop by and it was really fun to see so many family and friends. Dan even did a great job playing host for the day. :) The food and the cake were of course great and the root beer keg was a hit! We also had some fun playing with our cousin's seven month old son and another family friend's daughter. AJ especially had a lot of fun and made some new friends. After the party we cleaned up the house and even took a little nap - or at least I did. :) That night we just relaxed by a bonfire and reminisced about old stories.

On Sunday we went to church in Rapidan where my mom was doing the service for the day. It was a lot of fun to see her up there in her element and she did a great job with the sermon - not too long! ;-) Then before we knew it, it was time to head into town for graduation. We found some good spots and watched as my little brother because a high school graduate. It was a nice ceremony - pretty short since it was a smaller class. It was so weird to see Dan up there - first accepting his honor cords and then accepting his diploma. I can't believe how fast he's grown up but I can say that he has grown up to be a very fine young man. I am very proud to be his older sister. It will be crazy this fall once he is up at NDSU, my sister in Wisconsin for her internship and AJ and I down in Council Bluffs. We really will be all over the place.

So it was a very eventful weekend but a lot of fun! Hopefully this weekend will be spent with just AJ and I enjoying some relaxing time together.

PB&J: Political Blog and Junk

I like politics. I've always been interested in the way our government works. I love a good political debate. I thrive during elections. During the 2008 presidential election, I was part of a group on Wartburg's campus called First in the Nation (FIN). For this program, we paired up with a school in New Hampshire and studied the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primaries. We followed the current election from the beginning, the announcements, the rallies, the caucuses and primaries, the campaigning, the DNC and RNC and finally the election. We spent time out in New Hampshire with our fellow FINs and they spent some time in Iowa with us. It was a great opportunity and I met a lot of amazing people - including many of the presidential candidates and even President Obama (before he was president, of course!). I had a seat at Obama's speech at the DNC in Denver. I was a part of history. 

I have a lot of thoughts when it comes to politics. Not just politics either - but the events and issues that are intertwined with politics. I sometimes have a hard time keeping these thoughts to myself. And as we start to begin the process of another presidential election, there's a good chance I'll probably have some thoughts through it. And I'll probably want to share those thoughts. :) So I'm going to use this blog to do that. I understand however, that not everyone cares about my political thoughts and that's fine. I understand some people read this blog to be kept up to date on what's going on in mine and AJ's life. And so in fairness to them: for any blog that I'm going to write about politics or my thoughts on current events, I will start the title with PB&J which stands for Political Blog and Junk. (Clever, right? Funny thing is I don't even like PB&J sandwiches, but love politics! haha) That way everyone has a 'warning' in case they don't care what I have to say!

When I first started writing this blog, there were some issues that I wanted to address. Well, time got away from me and now those news stories are no longer current. Actually, I'm not even sure I can remember what all the stories were even about! I do know that there have been a lot of stories I've read lately on the ban on gay-marriage vote in Minnesota. There's a lot going on with that and as it is my home state, I feel personally involved - even if I'm not currently living there. It breaks my heart to see things like this pass through the legislature because there is no good reason to deny rights to anybody. And unfortunately, this 'theme' is all over the United States. Another story that really disturbed me was one that came out of Tennessee. A bill was signed into law by the governor that basically promotes discrimination against LGBTs. How anyone can think this is a good idea, I have no idea. 

What I do know is that things need to change. We need to continue to stand up for equal rights. We need to be allies against discrimination. And it starts with you.  

End of the School Year

I know... I've been a lousy blogger lately. I've been slacking and I have no good excuse. Or maybe, I was just waiting until I had plenty to talk about? :) But whatever the case, we are at the end of another month. Most of May was pretty quiet but things are starting to pick up as we head into summer.

On Friday, May 6th, AJ took his choir to Large Group contest in Elk Horn, Iowa. I was able to go along on this event. I am proud to say that the Riverside Choir earned a Division II rating!! This was a big improvement over last year's score and I know AJ and his kids were all very excited! That next week, AJ had his last middle school concert of the year and that always went great! My mom actually came down to save the day as AJ found himself without a piano player! And she did great! After the concert, AJ received a number of compliments on the program and how much improvement parents, staff and school board members had seen from the previous year. And you could tell that those kids just love AJ! :) We actually created a Facebook fan page for the Riverside Music Program that can be found here if you're interested! We have been posting updates along with pictures from the different events. Maybe we'll even get some videos up there!

For some other exciting news, AJ has found a summer job!! And I'm not really sure who is more excited, me or him. :) He will be teaching summer school at the Salvation Army in Omaha for the summer. This should be a great experience for him! Unfortunately, he doesn't get much of a break as he starts on May 31st, but I think he'll still enjoy it. His last day of school with the kids is May 25th and then he just has a day of professional development and a clean-up day for his office/classroom. It's hard to believe that AJ has finished his first year teaching. It has been an amazing year - even if it was a little bit of a roller-coaster at times. I am so proud of him for all he has accomplished this year and am really excited to watch as he continues to grow the music program at Riverside. I'm pretty sure they're all excited too!

This past Saturday, AJ and I headed up to see Amanda and Taylor and help them out in their new home! We were put to work as soon as we got there, sanding, taping and painting the upstairs bedrooms. We had a lot of fun while we were there and it was great to see them! We also made sure we got some quality time in with our clans-baby who is as cute as ever! After that, AJ headed back home while I headed up to Minnesota for the weekend. AJ had to be home for Riverside's graduation on Sunday as well as school Monday and Tuesday. I took some vacation time so I could enjoy some of my brother's last events.

On Sunday, Dan had his last piano recital. And he rocked it. It amazes me how good he is. It was a pretty big event since his piano teacher, Mary Ann was also my sister's teacher, my teacher and even my mom's piano teacher! With Dan and I both having 11 years of piano, Meg having 10 and my mom having about the same, we estimated that Mary Ann had given our family close to 1200 lessons over the years! She has made a huge difference in each of our lives. And on Monday, Dan had his last high school choir concert. Again it was a great concert and fun to see the choir director again after so long! It really made me miss my high school choir days! :)

That's about it for our updates right now. The next couple of weeks will be pretty busy and we're looking forward to being able to spend some times with both sides of our families!

Mother's Day

This blog is dedicated to our mothers. AJ and I each took the time to write up a little something about each of our moms. We want them to know just how much they mean to us - even though words can hardly describe it. We love you!

Trish Reedstrom, Mother of Liz for 25 and half years... 

Mom. I'm not even sure where to start. You've made me the person I am today. I am the way I am, because of you. You've taught me everything I know. Even when you didn't think you were teaching me lessons about life or love, you were. Because I was always watching, always listening. Always wondering if I would ever grow up to be half the amazing person you are. Your faith in God is the number one thing I love most about you. Because that faith shapes every other part of who you are. Your faith, to me, is so unwavering, so strong, so sure. Your faith makes you a loving individual who cares for everyone. It makes you passionate about what you believe in. It makes you want to be involved in a number of things so that you can share your faith and your love.
You are an incredibly talented person - whether it's quilting, cross-stitching, cooking, gardening, playing the piano or singing, scrap-booking or studying to go back to school. You've taught me that no matter what - if you want to do something, you can do it. You were always there to help me up when I fall, to hold me when I needed a hug, to tell me it was going to be okay when I wasn't sure. You were always there celebrating along with me whether it was high school or college graduation, my first real job or getting married. And although I joke about you always crying at these events, it's just proof of how much your love shines through for us kids. You are the person I look to for everything. You are the person I've never wanted to disappoint. You are the person I want to be proud of who I've become and know that I've become who I am because of you. You are the person I strive to be like - in all ways of life. You are the type of mom I pray I can be to my kids someday. 
You always give me the help I need - even when I'm too proud to ask for it and at the same time you're never overbearing. You always give the best advice and somehow always know the right answer. You've always been the best mom a girl can ask for. You were always there for all the friend drama, all the boyfriend drama, all the homework problems, all the big life decisions. You were always there for when it mattered most.
There are so many memories I'll never forget... the late nights at the dinner tables, trying to learn my spelling words, our sing-along's around the piano, going for bike rides on the Red Jacket Trail, taking meals out to Dad and Mark during harvest, traveling to Guatemala for the youth trip, making you clean my earrings after I pierced my ears because I was too scared, the bedtime stories, letting us play dress up in your old clothes, the singing of "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as you're living, my best friend you'll be.", the summer vacations and always making sure we learned something along the way, holding me as I cried over love lost, crying when I found my wedding dress, and pulling me aside at my wedding to give me some additional wisdom. And so much more.
Every day I've been blessed with an amazing mom. And every day I thank God for that. Every day I thank God for you. I will love you until the sky ends. And I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. As long as you're living, my best friend you'll be. I love you Mom. Happy Mother's Day.

Lora Zaruba, Mother of Austin for 24 years...

There are days when my head is swimming with too many details: the school schedules, the bills, the laundry, and the phone calls to return and don’t even get me started on the amount of emails that have stacked up.  Perhaps Mom, you feel the same way.  Your list may be a little different, but your brain is swirling with stuff just the same. I wish I could give you a hug and let you know that everything is going to be fine but then I remember that I learned to deal with these things from you! You’re the master! I can hear your voice in my head and it says, “Simply make a list of what needs to get done and then do it.” Or “Take it one day at a time!” and even my favorite and most often used- “Just breathe.” It really is a pretty amazing mental phenomenon, the sound of your Mother’s voice; it is quite possibly the most unexplainable comfort. Whenever I feel down, I start to think about the influence you have had on me- I remember the hugs, the tears, the laughs and the conversations that make me who I am today.

Mom, let me be honest. When I talk to Jesus, I think about the times we used to pray. Prayers at night before bed or prayers at church/Sunday school, and when I was young I didn’t quite understand. I am grown now, I talk to Jesus from time to time and I admit- you have come up.

I tell Him how much I love you.

I told Him how I wanted him to give you strength through Grandpa’s passing

I ask Him for forgiveness for all the mean and unfair things I did to you when I was young.

I admit to him that I miss being young sometimes because of how close we were

Most importantly…

I thank him- for you.

 

Thank you Mom for being there my whole life
Thank you Mom for being there when I was feeling down
Thank you Mom for giving me a peace of mind
Thank you Mom for buying me things even if I didn’t need them
Thank you Mom for walking the miles and guiding me through the path to success
Thank you Mom for your laughter at the stupid stuff I did
Thank you Mom for being all that you could be and even more
Thank you Mom for your gratitude and understanding
Thank you Mom for believing in me
Thank you Mom for being you

But most of all?

Thank you Mom for showing me how to love unconditionally

Happy Mother’s Day!

Where does the time go?

I cannot believe it is already May. Seriously. I have no idea what happened to April?! That seems to be happening a lot lately... first - March disappeared... then April and now May will probably be gone before we know it! And no - I'm not even wishing for time to speed away! AJ has just a little over two weeks left of school and I've already been here at UNO for almost four months now! In just a short month, my baby brother will be graduating high school. I have no idea where the time goes...

I feel like I need to throw in these "update blogs" every once in a while even though who knows if you all even want to be updated on our lives - it's not like we have anything too exciting going on! haha But I'll continue to do it so at the very least it helps me try to figure out where the last month went.The last time I wrote an update blog I was still down in Kansas City for some college fairs. And as much fun as those can be and nice to get out of the office sometimes, I'm glad to be done traveling for work now... at least until this fall again. And I think AJ would say he's glad to have me home too, but I guess you'd have to ask him that!

After that, April seemed to just quietly slip by. I did spend about a half a week out for the count with a bad sinus infection, which was really no fun. Then it was Holy Week and we were off to Minnesota for the Easter week to spend with my family. We were able to make it back in time on Friday to attend a Good Friday service with my family as well, which was really nice. On Saturday I went to a baby shower for one of my high school friends while AJ went to the farm with the guys. (aka my dad, uncle and second cousin) I heard they had quite a fun time themselves, even if AJ wasn't suppose to tell us about it... haha The baby shower was a lot of fun and it was great seeing so many friends again. Although it's hard to believe we're all growing up so quickly and buying houses and having babies! Or at least they are - AJ and I aren't quite there yet! haha

On Easter Sunday we woke up for a sunrise service and celebrated that He has Risen! Easter Sundays are always one of my favorite Sunday's of the year! So much joy and celebration! We had some family over for dinner which of course is always a good time. We were even able to get some four-wheeling in with the nice weather before we needed to pack up and head back to Iowa.

The next week was fairly quiet. It was my little sister's 24th birthday and AJ and I also celebrated three years since we had gotten engaged. This past weekend, my sister came in for a visit! It was so nice on Saturday that we went for a  picnic at the park across the road from our apartment. We then spent the next couple of hours just soaking up the sun! Megan and AJ even got a little sun burned! That night we had a dinner party with Megan, one of AJ's co-workers and his date. It was a big success and a lot of fun! After dinner, we headed to Omaha to see the production of Les Miserables. It was absolutely fabulous. On Sunday, we took Meg back to Omaha for a famous Jones Bros Cupcake so that her trip would be complete. :) After that, we spent the day relaxing and enjoying the breeze from outside.

On Monday, AJ had his last high school choir concert of the school year. It was amazing! You could really see how much the kids have learned over the year and how much better they sounded! You could see that AJ was doing an amazing job and getting through to these kids. It was a great concert. We did start a facebook page for the vocal music program at Riverside that can be found here if you're interested. ;-) This Friday, the choir has large group contest and AJ and the kids are very excited and eager for this - really hoping to improve their score over last year. Then next Thursday is the final middle school concert. After that, just some preparation for graduation and the school year will be over.

Another piece of good news is that AJ received his contract for next school year and already has it signed and returned! Not that I had any doubt about him getting a contract again, but you never know with the state budget cuts what could happen. So we are very excited that he will still have a job! :) For the summer, AJ is currently looking for some temporary work (mostly due to his nagging wife... haha) to keep him busy during his "time off". I'm also looking for a part time job because the life of an admissions counselor is pretty slow during the summer months so I thought I'd see if I could find something else to help keep me busy as well. And the extra money never hurts! ;-)

That's about it for my updates right now. I'm sure you've all enjoyed them! :)