Workin' in a Coal Mine

Well I've survived my first week of work. I'm employed as a student service coordinator for an online college. This first week was just training but I can tell this will be a pretty fast-paced job. I haven't worked 40 hours a week since Ash was born so that is definitely an adjustment. There are still reservations about working full-time, but right now it seems like the thing to do to keep us afloat. I've given myself six months to work and then I'll re-evaluate.

Working for a "for-profit" school is also interesting. WIA was certainly not without goals or expectations, but they weren't really tied to a fiscal outcome. Education is important and I'm glad to help people find ways to accomplish their goals, but I don't want to manipulate people. My position is good because my main job is to help students get used to the computer programing and making sure they have all the things they need to start class. You can't really manipulate people doing that. If they've already paid for school I want to make sure they can at least be successful.

Asher seems to be enjoying his new sitter. He had a little trouble napping the first day but after that he's been great. Spanish is her first language and the other children seem to pick it up pretty quickly. Ash is such a funny boy. His teeth have decided to come in three at a time and his poor mouth is so swollen. I feel bad just giving him motrin and ice to suck on, but there isn't much else to be done for him.

Aaron is busy with school and his internship. He enjoys both and is looking forward to taking some Spanish classes during the summer. We are really liking Tempe and are slowly trying to make new friends. Trying to make couple friends is like dating all over again.

Fun with Photo Booth

Ash and Aaron had a good time with the computer today. I haven't posted a lot of pictures of the Ashman lately so prepared to be overwhelmed by my tiny destroyer!

I think he looks a little like the hunchback in this picture

Seriously Ash and I have a ton of fun together most days, we read books and dance to Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, and Britney Spears. He has this new dance where he looks like a communist solider marching with his legs flying all over the place. In other exciting Asher news I've won the battle of the bottle as of Thursday! We are now drinking milk from a sippy cup.

Adventures in Babysitting

Well, I think my job search may be coming to a close. Now to try and find a good situation for the Ash-man. We've been really fortunate for the past 14 months not to really have Ash outside of our home. Even when our shifts over-lapped we had Krys come and help. It makes me sad to think about him being somewhere else for so long, but I'm not sure we have any other options at the moment.

Child care is a HUGE chunk of change! Not that I'm really bothered paying for something that will be beneficial for him, it's still a little shocking to see the sticker amount. I'm still interviewing providers so keep your fingers crossed that we find a situation that will work for everyone.

Marvelous Masala

So, I've been craving Indian food like it's nobodies business. Well I found this recipe for Chicken Masala and it was heaven! Indian food has always made me nervous because of all the spices but this was not difficult at all. Since Aaron is a veggie I made the sauce separately and then added Chicken and Vegetables in before serving. I'm going to try a few more dishes from this site, but so far I'm impressed. Mine didn't look as picturesque as the picture but it was still delicious.

Memory Lane

We went and saw the Mesa temple last Sunday after church. I lived in Gilbert, AZ until I turned 13 years old and wanted to see how things had changed. The good news is the temple looks the same (from the outside). The bad news is the area around the temple has gone downhill. It use to be a really nice area but now it is pretty run down. There is now a bright pink house facing the temple. We also checked out my old neighborhood. It was like a drive down memory lane, but everything changed. I guess cities evolve over 14 years. Anyway, here are some pics of the temple grounds. Enjoy.

The fountains look cool up close.

Here's a little trivia...the Mesa Temple was the first temple to have sessions in a different language other than English.

Love the cactus garden.

Can you spot Trine & Asher? They are behind the pillar on the right, you can see Trine's arms pushing the stroller.

I really wanted that sun flare in the picture.

Honest Scrap Award

Kristen has bestowed upon me the "Honest Scrap" award. Here are the rules she sent along, should I choose to accept such an award:

1) Thank the person who gave you the award and list his/her blog (with a link).
2) Pass on the award to seven other people whose blogs you find brilliant in content or design.
3) Notify the bloggers you choose for the award and hopefully they’ll join in.
4) List 10 honest things about yourself and post a copy of the Honest Scrap Logo on your blog.

Thanks Kristen, I miss yelling at you through the wall. For those of you who don't already read her blog, I encourage you to she's pretty great and has a cute new baby! Seven others I pass the award on to: Nollie, Shannon, Rhiannon, Mandy, Wendy, Lynnette and Sandy. My notification is this post. Hopefully you will someday read this blog and know you have been chosen :)

Here are the ten things you probably don't know about me.

1) When I was eight I used to pretend to host a morning talk show with my sister before we left for school. We called it Blab...it had a theme song and everything.

2) I really love cooking blogs. Now that I'm unemployed I've stumbled on some pretty good ones that I'm going to start sampling.

3) My new neighbor is a witch. Literally, she's believes she, " Walks the path of the ancient ones."

4) Aaron and I will randomly burst out singing songs from the Chipmunk Adventure. Diamond Dolllllss!

5) I love eating brownie batter and cookie dough...One day I'm sure I'll regret it, but it's so good.

6) Last week I listened to two drunk men talk about going out and killing someone because they were bored at the library...Good times.

7) I would be happy to have Indian food every night of the week. I miss the Bombay House.

8) Sometimes, if the speaker in church gets too outrageous, I'll do something to Ash so he'll have to leave the meeting.

9) The only video game I've ever won is Buzz and Order Up.

10) I'm afraid of mold.

Recent Developments

Since we arrived in AZ, Trine and I decided that we really didn't have the money (or really the need) for cable. So, without TV everyone has actually been pretty productive. Trine has applied for multiple jobs a day (despite being rejected by Target) and read three books in three days. I have been able to finish all of the assignments (four) needed for my online class giving me an extra two weeks to study for the final I need to pass in order to attend Grad School (wish me luck). Asher probably has made the most advances out of all of us.

In the past week (yes we have been in 100 degree+ weather for that long), Asher has become a stacker, increased his climbing and gymnastic skills, and even made it through 2 out of 3 meetings at church yesterday. Asher has lost interest in the entertainment center because we unplugged the chords. Asher has finally figured out how to use his stacker rings, ball, truck, and is trying to figure out his newly acquired shape sorter thing-a-magigger. Asher seems to be pretty happy being able to run freely around the apartment (the blessing of having no stairs). Asher also has been trying climb up over the arms of the couches in order to get to the light switch. I say try because he fell off the couch and landed flat on his back...he was pretty sad about that. But became happy when I offered him a blueberry and his blanket as comfort.