Off the table.

Thursday night, Noel and I enjoyed a dinner out at Texas Roadhouse complimentary of my mystery shopping ventures. It was wonderful as usual and we had a good time and some good conversation. Mostly we talked about Crystal Lake and their riduculous demand that he prematurely quit his job. (Noel spoke with the Chief last week who told Noel he would need to live in IL and be ready to work on Oct. 2- which was three weeks from that day, and without even a formal offer or medical exam, which is totally shady!) We talked about how that was not a smart move and weighed the comments of my uncle, who said it's "not a great place to work, but a stepping stone." Yeah, we got home from dinner and I got the mail. There was a letter from Crystal Lake, having gone through this process for the last 3 years, we know a phone call is good, letter is bad. So he opened the letter and we were right, Crystal Lake decided not to consider him for final employment. This is actually the first rejection letter that brought us sweet relief. One great thing, make that the ONLY great thing about a testing/hiring process is that you really get a feel for the company/department you could be working for. Being a paid FF, has given Noel the experience to know what separates the good from the bad. Crystal Lake, was a bad... In terms of good departments to work for, Noel is pretty sure that Naperville, IL and Denver, CO are the most solid departments. They both happen to still be options. Naperville is more of a stretch but Denver will likely make a decision in the next 3 weeks. We're so thankful that God shut the door to Crystal Lake. As great as it would be to live closer to my family, we don't want to be stuck in a town/job that isn't a good fit for us. Instead, we both have a peace that Crystal Lake was not where we were meant to be and it's wonderful to not stress out about that option. Here's to hoping that this is the week for Denver to make offers.

I can't stop...

This is my Mom's actual senior picture. Taken in 1970. My grandma has senior pictures from all seven of her kids up on the living room wall. I love the progression in film/photography throughout the years. Mom was the oldest and my Aunt Colleen the youngest. In Mom's here you can see the black/white sepia tone, but Aunt Co's from 1984 is straight-up color, right down to her teal sweater. I must remember to document this.

I got my senior pictures taken...

In 5 different decades! I found this great site on my friend Emily's blog! This was tons of fun at work.

Click here to create your own memories!

This one is from 1952- the year my Mom was born.




1960- My current spectacles look very similar...



1966-



1968 - This is kinda what I was going for the last time I got my hair done...

1970- The year my mom graduated from high school.

1972- I am loving the big hair! I should totally bring it back!

1976 - The year my brother Brett was born. I think this is my favorite! Totally Charlies Angels.

1978- I'm not messing.

1982- The year I was born.

1984

1988 - The crimping I remember but whoa!

1990 - More big hair... I'm not bring back big hair like this but sleek unfrizzy big hair.

1994 - Man I'm glad I was in jr. high and pretty much still wearing pigtails when this was cool.
1998
2000 - For the record, I actually had my senior picture taken in 1999 and there were NO bangs like this in 2000. I think 2000 is when hair started to get shorter.... if I recall. I definitely remember the cheerleaders doing the wedge thing with their hair.

What if these were all taken from your original yearbook photo!? Good times.

One down, two to keep waiting on.

Noel received a letter in Friday saying that he didn't make the top 6 in Cedar Rapids. So unless, this year of testing proves fruitless, we will not be Iowa residents much longer. I am really thankful to know. If you read any previous posts you'll see that I'm a little anxious to hear about an offer. I am thankful to know CR is off the table. Now it will either be Crystal Lake or Denver.

We celebrated my baby-brother-in-law's 24th birthday last night at their Dad's house. It was pretty sweet to see Papa Mickey not wanting Noel to move to Denver. Then this morning Noel ran a 5K and Papa Mick called wanting to come watch (having never expressed any interest before), and telling Noel that the four of us should go out for dinner sometime. It's another reminder that Denver would be really hard. But, there is a part of me that really feels that Denver will be worth it. I will be at peace wherever God wants us.

Oh, I'm really excited about having a grown-up dinner out with Tony, Tippee, Morgan & Blake at Formosa tomorrow night. I'm trying to expand my horizons. Wish me luck!

New List!

What Things On This List Have You Done...

It’s sort of like that game we used to play “I’ve Never…” but in reverse.
The things in bold are the things I’ve done!
Copy it and publish your list!!

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol (all the time, not bad shot either)
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days1
26. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Some of these were way serious! I didn't actually read the whole thing when I copied it... I really wanted to highlight a bunch, but had to refrain while reminding myself "not yet, Cate."

**Update** I decided that this is a good list of things I'd love to do someday, so I marked them in green. Most of them have to do with travel, obviously. I wonder how many I can accomplish.

Still Waiting

I'm probably the most impatient person alive. I'm actually not exaggerating this time. I have been waiting for months for Noel to get a new job offer, wait, make that years. Almost 2.5 years. Now there are three cities telling us that they will extend offers mid-September. That's 2.5 weeks away! What's really making my matter worse here, is that I have a three week break from school. My next class doesn't start until Sept. 17th. I have very little to distract me. I was actually bored on Monday morning. A day off work, and I really didn't even enjoy it. I've had a lot of time with Noel lately, which has been wonderful. The way I figure it is once, we get an offer, (and really it is when, not if), we will have between 2-6 weeks to move. Unless we get Cedar Rapids, then the commute will surely suck for awhile, but we'll be able to look for something... permanent. :) I'm thankful that substitutes are in need, because that will be my job when we move. I know this post seems really whiny. It's not just all the waiting. It's more my desire to plan, and feel settled, and make my home. I just have to remember, that God is good and he's got the timer. Easier said than done, right?

**Update** Noel's polygraph with Crystal Lake is Sept. 10th. Wish him truthful thoughts, or something like that.