Keeping Current

New Location

2008-06-25T02:17:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are not already aware:

We have recently changed our address. We now live in a cute little 1970's row house. (This means that it is one story and has a neighbor attached on either side but not above or below.) It is 2bd/1b and about 960sqft (considerably larger than our former apartment). Also, for the first time we have a small yard! We share a patch of grass with one of our neighbors and have a very small garden area all our own just below our living room window. We've already begun growing some plants with varied success. Our first tomato, though, is beginning to turn red and there are 3 more just behind it! In addition to this, we have a narrow, fully enclosed, partially shaded, back patio that is accessed through a sliding glass door in our bedroom. Luke has finally retrieved his beloved barbecue from my parents' storage shed where it has languished for the past two years, and I am definitely enjoying the results!

Our new home does have an in-wall AC which we do NOT plan on using due to the high cost of running it, but we get a great cross breeze on most days and have recently invested in new fans which have helped considerably on the hotter days. The heating is the old electric coils in the ceiling type and we don't plan to use it either since it is extremely inefficient. (Perhaps that will motivate me to make more quilts for our home instead of constantly giving them away!) Another modern convenience we are doing without is a dishwasher. However, we are not finding that to be the hardship you might think.

We love the layout and feel of our place- it is very homey. In addition, we are renting a storage unit just down the driveway near the laundry room and that is allowing us a lot more living space. The neighborhood crime rate is almost nonexistent and it's very quiet and peaceful here. I often hear the birds chirping in the morning and our neighbors pretty wind chimes in the afternoon. You can see hills of the nearby regional park from our front stoop. It's just a couple blocks walk to the trailheads leading into the regional park and a beautiful city park with a playground is there too.

We're excited to be much closer to our friends and the places we frequently shop. We'll be saving a significant amount of money in gas and I think we all know how important that is right now. Given all these advantages can you believe that (storage rental included) we're still paying LESS than we would have if we'd stayed in our previous apartment???

God is GREAT!

If you don't have our new contact info, please email me.

Many Changes and a New Face

2008-03-31T18:39:00.000-07:00

The year of 2007 brought many changes to our family, both large and small, tragic and wonderful. These changes have kept us so busy, in fact, that this is my first blog update in over a year. You may be happy to know that since my last entry the management has banned smoking anywhere inside the complex and the roaches are long gone.

In January Wendy began her first job as official Registered E.R. Nurse.

In February, Wendy shared with us the happy discovery that she was pregnant!

In March, a series of events occurred which ultimately culminated in the legal separation of Luke's parents in December and a tragic division of his family. Their family home has been sold. Jerry and Katie are currently living with Jerry's mother, Edna. Jerry is responsible for the full-time care of his mother. Katie has recently begun working in the Bakery at a nearby Ralph's where she is highly praised by customers, her coworkers, and her boss for her strong work ethic and creative talent. Jill and Amy have remained together.

In May Luke celebrated his 27th birthday.

In June I was 3lbs shy of my goal weight, having already lost 23lbs, when a strong and constant abdominal pain sent me to the doctor. The examination revealed an abnormally tender uterus and the doctor asked if I could be pregnant. I told her that I believed it rather unlikely, but not impossible. She ordered my blood be drawn for a pregnancy test just to be sure. If you know me at all, you won't be surprised to hear that after double checking the net for the name of the most accurate early HPT I dashed out to the nearest store which carried it and spent a long night waiting to use it. First thing that morning I had my answer. Pregnant. Unfortunately, because of the pain I was suffering, Luke and I experienced mixed feelings at the news. Just as I was about to call the doctor's office to inform them of my HPT results, they called me with the news that my blood test revealed I was pregnant. In the same breath, they told me to go to the hospital because it may be an ectopic pregnancy. Several tests and days of anxious waiting later, it was determined that the baby was properly implanted in my uterus and that my pain was the unrelated result of a severely pulled interior abdominal muscle. Finally, we could celebrate whole-heartedly. Five days later the unmistakable morning sickness set in.

In July I celebrated my 27th birthday and Luke and I took advantage of the free Las Vegas hotel accommodations we'd been given nearly a year prior and dropped Ethan off at Nanna's house for the week. Ignoring (or at least trying to) my constant nausea and- at times overwhelming- exhaustion, Luke and I hiked up and down the Vegas strip enjoying our first vacation alone since Ethan's birth. I coped by constant snacking, lots of liquids, and catching the occasional cat-nap in a hotel lobby chair.... okay, not really napping, but the hotel security at Mandalay Bay thought so. Apparently slouching (not laying, but sitting up with slouched posture) with your eyes closed while you wait the 5 minutes it takes your husband to use the bathroom, consitutes "sleeping" and warrants a tap on the shoulder and a brief verbal scolding from the nearest security guard who doesn't stop long enough to allow a response but simply keeps on walking down the hall without missing a step.

In August my parents brought their toy trailer down to a campground in Julian where Ethan and I joined them for a few days while Luke worked. Mom and I spent our time there in a marathon sewing session to create the quilt, crib bumper, and dust ruffle for Wendy's impending arrival. Dad and Ethan enjoyed a wonderful bonding time exploring the campground together while we sewed. Luke joined us for the weekend and we all had a wonderful time.

Also, in August, I had my 20 week ultrasound where we learned that I was carrying a monkey. Okay, seriously, we learned that I was carrying a boy, but it took a week to convince big brother Ethan that I was carrying a baby and not a monkey after he saw the ultrasound image on the screen, pointed at it and cried, "Monkey! There's monkey on TV!"

In September I attended Wendy's baby shower in Yucca Valley at my parent's house. She loved the things Mom and I had made for her.

Also in September I went back to work for the Miller family. I cared for the twins after school and on most school holidays during the fall semester. Ethan really enjoyed playing with the girls.

In October we spent a suspense filled 2 weeks wondering if Wendy's contractions were going to materialize into true labor. Finally, on October 11th, 2007, our precious Nathaneal Marc Smith came into the world weighing 7lbs 13oz- just 1oz bigger than his older cousin. I was blessed to be in the room supporting Wendy as she labored and when the baby was born. She was amazing! Nathaneal's birth is a memory I will treasure always.

Also, on the evening of Sunday, October 21st we were driving home after an afternoon of shopping for Ethan's birthday party scheduled for the following weekend, when we began to notice more and more smoke the closer we got to home. When we arrived home we immediately turned on the news and discovered that there was a huge fire in Ramona, several miles east of us. As you know that fire and others in the San Diego region rapidly grew and spread causing major destruction, costing homes and lives. For a large portion of the time when those fires burned, our own home was given varying levels of evacuation orders. Fortunately, our unique location (immediate access to a freeway entrance & a view that allowed us to closely monitor the fire closest to us while it was still miles away, etc.) allowed us to safely remain in our home while thousands of others fled to crowded evacuation shelters. In the end, the closest the fire ever came to our home was 6 miles away with at least 3 canyons, dozens of homes, and hundreds of condos between us and it. Never the less, the ramifications continued long after the danger passed for us. It took weeks to unpack all the things we'd packed in anticipation of fleeing at a moment's notice, but worse was the worry and stress of trying to decide what to do about Ethan's 2nd birthday party which had been planned to happen at a historic train park one of the areas hardest hit by the fire. The park itself and the immediate surrounding area had been spared from burning, but the close proximity of the fire had rained ash and debris all over the park and the air quality in the area underwent daily change as we grew closer and closer to the day of the party. I spent an entire day fruitlessly trying to find an indoor alternative we could afford and anticipating the loss of all the preparations we'd made for a train themed party- something Ethan is VERY into right now. In the end, God blessed us with a wind that blew the air clear and clean enough to venture outside without fear just in time for the party. At the last minute, after several testing trips to the park to check it's condition, we decided to go ahead with the party at the park as planned, and it really went very well. Everyone had fun and even though the train was officially closed due to the debris on the tracks, the clean up crew working on it that day, gave Ethan a special birthday ride around the park before all his guests arrived that day!

Another milestone was passed in October when Ethan made the switch from his Splash Babies Swim Class that we took together to the Transition Swim Class that he took with just one other student and the teacher. The first day of his new class he wasn't too keen on getting into the water without me, but just a few minutes into the class he was happy and having fun again. At his next class he had no problems getting in the water with the teacher. He no longer needed Mama in the water with him. A bit teary-eyed at this sign that my baby was growing up, I was also relieved not to have to continue to squeeze my increasingly pregnant body into a swimsuit every week.

In November we celebrated Thanksgiving with my family in Yucca Valley. By then I was very pregnant and very tired. What I didn't realize was this would turn out to be the beginning of a very miserable period for me. For the next month and a half my pregnancy caused me constant pain and continual exhaustion that left me barely making it through my days. Poor Luke ended up with all the housework and caring for Ethan most evenings on top of working extra long days at work. His lab is working under a pressing deadline and he's been working extra hours for months trying to finish his current project.

In December we made our trip to Yucca on the weekend before Christmas to celebrate with my family since we planned to celebrate with Luke's father, sister, and Grandma Edna on Christmas day. Unfortunately, about 5am Christmas morning Ethan came down with a sudden fever and we had to cancel our plans. Instead we had a pajama clad Christmas at home. Fortunately Ethan wasn't feeling too miserable to enjoy Christmas and we were able to have our Christmas celebration with Luke's family on New Year's Eve instead.

December 28th Luke and I celebrated our 6th Anniversary while Ethan spent a fun weekend at Nana's house.

By the end of December my pain and exhaustion were too much for me to continue working. Ethan was disappointed not to be seeing the twins on a regular basis, but we will continue to visit.

In January, Ethan continued his Transition Swim Class lessons, Luke continued working extra long hours and some weekends, and I slept every moment that I could. Although the continuous pain had lessened, Braxton Hicks contractions began interrupting my evenings more and more frequently as the days passed.

In February our evenings and weekends were consumed with reorganizing the apartment for the impending arrival of our second son. Luke continued to work extra hours, Ethan took a break from his swim lessons in anticipation of the baby's arrival and I continued to sleep whenever possible.

At about 12:30am on Monday, February 25th (my Estimated Due Date) I was officially in active labor. It quickly became apparent that the baby was in a less than ideal position and this wasn't going to be an easy labor. With Luke, my mother, and my doula at my side, I spent the next 55hrs laboring at home. Ethan spent this time first with Grandpa Mark and later with Aunt Katie. By about 4am Wednesday morning I decided we'd run out of options and it was time to go to the hospital and try to get this baby born. After an epidural, the breaking of my waters, and more time, it was decided that this baby wouldn't be coming out as hoped and that a Cesarean Section would be needed. About 63 hours after active labor began (at 4:58pm on Wednesday, February 27th, 2008) Quintin Mark was born weighing 9lbs 15.8oz (just 0.02oz shy of 10lbs!!!) and measuring 22.5".

March finds us happily adjusting to our new life as a family of 4.

Loose Ends

2007-01-04T22:28:00.000-08:00

So after posting about our holidays, I read my previous post and realized there were a few loose ends to tie up.

First of all we do have a smoker on our floor, but they are at the opposite end of the hallway and I only notice their smoke about twice a month. We also have a minor cockroach problem (they are coming out of the wall) which has cropped up just recently, but the management has had a reasonable response to the problem and we look forward to their absence occuring shortly. :-)

Secondly, although Ethan was accepted by a local, legitimate talent agent, we learned that 99.5% of all jobs for his age range are in L.A. which means that the auditions are also in L.A. Doing the math, we quickly realized that traveling to L.A. for auditions was out of the question and asked his agent to simply let us know on the rare occasion that something might come up in San Diego. Three months later, surprise, surprise, nothing has happened. At this point I am supposed to submit new photographs of Ethan, but honestly, it's just not something I'm interested in any more. The odds are too slim that anything will come of it for me to put any more effort into it and doing this sort of thing requires that you be able to drop everything and go on a day's notice, but such flexibility isn't practical with the other things I'd prefer to do with my time. I have other, far more important goals. So I am just going to let it go. If we lived in L.A. it might have been a different story, but we don't. Oh well. No harm, no foul. It was an interesting opportunity to investigate even if it didn't pan out.

How We Spent Our Holidays 2006

2007-01-04T17:21:00.000-08:00

On the evening before Christmas Eve, Ethan and I ventured out of the house for the first time in a week. Luke took us to a neighborhood in Clairemont where almost every house on the street was lavishly decorated for the holidays and a couple of the houses were selling hot chocolate and cookies. We splurged and bought some from a soccer? team who was set up in the driveway of one of the houses to raise funds for their upcoming season. Ethan and I shared the cookies while Luke enjoyed the hot chocolate. Ethan, warmly dressed and snuggled in a blanket in our arms, was awwed by the sights on the street and appeared to enjoy every minute of it! On our way back to the car we noticed a two foot tall plastic santa holding a tray full of small boxes standing in the headlight beam of a car parked lengthwise in a driveway and specially decked out for the occasion. The sign attached to the santa's tray read "Please take one per family". Closer inspection of the boxes revealed several small candy dishes and what looked (according to the outside picture) like small metal bell ornaments. Touched by the generosity of the homeowners, we accepted one of the bell boxes as a souvenier of our wonderful night out as a family. To our surprise, when we returned home, we opened the box and found not a small metal bell ornament, but a medium sized porcelain bell with beautiful poinsettias painted on the front! I immediately said to Luke, "Oh good now we have a bell to use when we're sick!" His only response was a sarcastic "Great." lol

This year we celebrated Christmas day with Luke's family at his parents' house. I made a new recipe I'd found for Cranberry Icecream Pie and it was such a hit that I've been requested to make it every Christmas from now on! Ethan had a wonderful time playing with his two aunts, grandparents and great grandparents.

About 3:30 that afternoon we left for our apartment where we unloaded our plunder from Luke's family and reloaded with our gifts for my family along with all the luggage and gear we would need for the following week's trip to Utah for skiing. Arriving at my parent's home sometime around 9pm we inhaled a couple pieces of pizza, fed Ethan, and enjoyed another round of gift giving and receiving. My parents' offered to keep Ethan in their room for the evening to allow Luke and I a good night's sleep to help repair the damages of Ethan's recent sickness. Unfortunately, my mom had to drive the next morning, so when Ethan was still not cooperating an hour later, I retrieved him and took him to the living room couch where we could theoretically sleep without disturbing Dada who had a pounding migraine. Instead, Ethan slept very fitfully on my chest and changed positions about every 10-20minutes throughout the entire night. He capped off the night by overflowing his diaper and peeing through my nightgown onto the only pair of underwear I had not (stupidly) packed in my suitcase which had been promptly burried in the rental trailer upon arrival the evening before. Although Luke kindly retrieved my suitcase while I showered, I think it goes without saying that I was not the perkiest member of the group that morning. It was to be another two days (and another very long night) before we finally discovered the reason for Ethan's general crankiness and restless sleep: His first molar! Merry Christmas! *rolling eyes*

Despite this auspicious start to our skiing vacation, the trip actually turned out pretty great. Luke enjoyed snowboarding- something he hadn't done in years. Ethan hated snow the first day, but changed his mind and loved it the last day. (In between he mostly reaked havoc around the spacious condo and thoroughly enjoyed crawling up and down the stairs to the loft- with a grown up trailing obediently behind.) As for me, my memory of skiing at age 6 proved deceiving. As a 6 year old I'd easily picked up the sport and scared the life out of my mother by flying at breakneck speed down my first real hill so that my father had to speed up to stay with me. I remember not one ounce of fear. Twenty years later with a healthy understanding of what a broken bone feels like and the slow painful recovery and expense it entails, I suddenly found myself completely terrified of going "too fast" - meaning anything more than a turtle's pace so that I could stop instantly without falling.

I began my experience with a ski school lesson that lasted 2 1/2hrs, ending at lunch time. On one of my rides up on the chair lift during this lesson, my seat made a loud popping sound and shifted forward! Already fairly afraid of heights that I cannot control, I had to practice extreme self control not to start crying like a 3year-old and to remain calm. When I told the instructor at the top of the slope, he said that one of the bungee cords holding the cushion to the metal frame had probably broken and asked what number chair I was on. Fortunately this was our last trip down the slope and by the time I got to the bottom I actually felt excited and happy again and looked forward to trying it on my own after lunch. I think I thought experience would lessen the tiny bit of fear I'd experienced in going down the slopes during the lesson. WRONG! During the lesson we'd each had our own chair. After lunch, Luke and I shared a chair, making the anxiety of getting off at the top greater for me. However I managed to do so without falling. (I never once fell getting off the lift.) So, okay, now to go down the slope. A few deep breaths and I set off plowing my way downhill. Despite my best efforts I could not maintain a rate of speed in which I felt comfortable. There were several points on that short slope in which I felt I was going "too fast" (out of control) and at one point I fell and had to get back up again (something I'd done 3 or 4 times during my lesson). At the bottom I broke down sobbing and told Luke I was done! The stress of the chair lift, the terror of going to fast, the misery of walking in angled ski boots, and the lack of sleep for the previous two nights all accumulated to turn me into a quitter. That was it. I'd reached my limit. I couldn't handle any more fear or stress. So I stood quietly crying about 30ft behind the chair lift lines and watched Luke reluctantly go up without me. (He was really sweet about trying to comfort me, but I told him to go on and have fun.) Well.... I come from a family of stubborn people and I really hate how it feels to quit something. I guess I don't handle defeat well, because just as Luke reached the top of the lift and just as my sister reached the bottom of the slope, I was inching my way back into the line. By the time my sister got in line behind me, I'd made up my mind that I had to do it at least one more time- I couldn't let fear conquer me. ( I told myself practicing mind control would help when it came time for my next birthing. ) So, telling my sister I wanted to ride alone, I boarded the chair lift once more and held on to the bar with a whiteknuckled grip. By the time I got to the top my hands were hurting. Once again I managed to get off the lift without falling and stood for a full minute (at least) at the top of the easiest slope before finally working up the nerve to start down. I'm fairly certain I fell at least once. I know I went too fast. But at the bottom of the hill I felt a quiet pride in having overruled my fear.

After one more run down the hill (with pretty much the same results) the slopes were closing and it was time for me to make a very important decision: whether or not to renew my rental equipment and whether or not to purchase another lift pass. After discussing it with Luke and Wendy, I finally decided to go ahead and renew and buy for just one day (as opposed to the 4-day rentals & pass I'd planned to buy at the start of the day). That night I lay in bed with Luke cursing the decision. I hated skiing, I reasoned. It was terrifying. It wasn't fun. It wasn't my idea of a vacation activity. Why, oh why, had I purchased another day? However, there are no refunds for lift passes, so the next morning I awoke with the grim resolution to just get it over with and then I was NEVER going to ski again! I was certain that my day would be just as terrifying, just as miserable, and that I would probably cry again at some point. I was also resolved that I would stick completely to the easiest of the beginner slopes.

That morning, my mother, who also skiis, went with me and watched me to give me tips. As pathetic as it sounds, I honestly felt better having my mommy there. Somehow, knowing that someone was watching me, gave me a little more confidence. (Which probably explains why my fear amplified after my class was over.) None-the-less, at the base of my first run I was no more enamored with skiing than I had been the day before. I still hated the chair lift. I still hated going "too fast". I still hated walking in ski boots. However I had a whole day to get through, so up I went again. And again. And again. Suddenly I found myself ready to graduate to the next level beginner's slope. After a couple more confidence boosting runs (two of which were sans falls) on that slope and facing an unbelievable tripling in line length at the base of the chair lift, I said okay to trying out one of the longer intermediate runs! Even though I fell a couple of times (once not my fault), when I reached the bottom I knew that I had finally reached that point where I had gained total control over my fear and could actually say that I'd had some fun! It was time for lunch then.

After lunch I calmly, even happily, came back out with Luke and my dad. Luke had been watching Ethan that morning so we started with one run on the beginner slope to warm up (great by me!). I made it the whole way down without falling! Then we moved over to the intermediate slope where I fell once or twice. Then we barely squeaked through the line for our third and final run in the 4 1/2hrs we'd been out there (those lines were horrid!). On that last run I fell three times and for the first time actually injured myself. (Probably because I was too tired.) It was just a minor injury (pulled muscles in my left arm and back from over-extension) and I probably could have skiied with no problem the next day, but before I'd even started that last run, I knew that I really was done. I wasn't quitting this time. I was choosing other activities instead. Skiing just wasn't my thing and I was okay with that. So I spent the next day hanging out in the condo with Ethan, my grandparents and Luke (who had moderately injured his neck muscles in a spectacular head-over-board handstand-style fall/flip during the same run I was injured on, that I was grateful not to have witnessed). The next and final day Luke and I spent hauling Ethan around in the snow and recording wonderful family memories. The rest of the week was spent just enjoying the company of family, playing games, and watching movies. As I mentioned before, overall, the trip was a great success and I'm glad Ethan was well in time for us to be a part of it. :-)

August 2006

2006-08-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

Well, we've been in our new apartment for about 4mths now and we are liking it very much. It's a wonderful layout, quality contruction, beautiful views, and friendly maintenance crew. The management is good, though unresponsive to voice mail. When you do talk to them, they are friendly enough and things get done. The facilities are maintained very well and the crime rate is low. (Several cars were broken into in one week-not ours- but the teenage hoodlums were caught and arrested. Other than that we have a mystery tagger who likes to scratch indecipherable graffiti in the paint on the elevators doors, but the staff keeps painting over it.) Really, my biggest complaint is that people often smoke at the end of the hallway on the first floor and their smoke wanders the length of the corridor. (Hallways are closed in except at each end which is why they smoke there.) Fortunately no one on the 4th floor (where we live) appears to smoke and I only have to use the first floor to do laundry, go to the leasing office, and access the pool area.
There are many families in our building and I would say the vast majority of tenants are friendly, hard-working people.

Little has changed in the past 4 mths. Luke is still working in the Jamora Lab at UCSD and I am still a SAHM. I spend my days taking care of Ethan, keeping up on housework, researching Homeschooling options and curriculum, sewing, and filling out surveys in exchange for sweepstakes entries, points, and/or prizes. I often receive valuable coupons and free product samples which help to ease our budget just a little. My other new occupation is to try and capture 4 excellent photographs of Ethan which I am going to submit to local talent agents. That's right, I'm going to see if Ethan can get any modeling/commercial work.
Reasoning:
1) He likes having his picture taken. He loves the attention.
2) I can't count how many strangers stop me in stores to tell me how cute Ethan is. And it's not just on some days in some stores. It's EVERY time I take him out!
3) If it doesn't cost us more money than he would earn to do the job, why not?

Rules:
1) If Ethan doesn't enjoy it- we stop.
2) All profit (if there is any) goes toward Homeschooling supplies, family vacations, and Ethan's college tuition.
3) Will only accept jobs with companies we are comfortable working with.

We're Here!

2006-05-04T15:56:00.000-07:00

Okay! We've moved! If you want our contact info just email me! imjustme24kd@yahoo.com
Don't forget to check The Baby Journal for the latest Ethan News and a link to our family pic blog. www.thebabyjournal.blogspot.com
Also, for the latest Rock N Roll Marathon training updates & photos, check my She's Getting There blog! www.shesgettingthere.blogspot.com

Hope to hear from you soon!
Kathleen

Moving Again!

2006-03-28T17:30:00.000-08:00

Many of you may have heard the rumors already. ;-D So I am here to make it official. Yes! We are moving! (Yes, again.) A little over a month ago we were notified that our apartment complex was going condo. Therefor extending our current lease would not be an option whether we could afford it or not. So we have since been doing research into where we could possibly go from here, with the idea that we would move no earlier than June.

During our search we considered both buying options and rental options. We were discouraged to find that rentals in our price range were even farther and fewer between than last summer, and mostly in areas of San Diego County that we wouldn't bring Ethan to live. Also, as we looked toward the future and our ultimate goal of owning a home we began to believe that we would need to leave the area (and possibly even the state) if we were ever to acheive that goal.

However, God had another plan in mind, it seems. Just by chance, Luke came across a website listing affordable housing projects. The next day I began calling around to find out exactly where they were located, how much rent was, how big they were, etc. Many of them were again in areas we would not raise Ethan in. However, there were a few in the very nice Carmel Valley/Mountain area. The first one I called was a purchasing project- meaning you would own your own home- but they were all spoken for. The next one was a rental development and had a voicemail box that was full and not accepting messages. The third one was a brand new rental project still under construction and still accepting applications! If we came in the next day we would be very likely to recieve one of the apartments which were scheduled to be complete early to mid April of this year! So, of course, we dropped everything to get our paperwork together and hurried to the office first thing the next morning to get our application in. While we were there we learned that they had just put an ad in the paper that morning. Recently, I learned that the units had all been assigned as of last week. If we had waited it's very likely we may not have gotten in at all, let alone gotten to pick out which apartment we preferred from the blueprints we were shown! Our timing could not have been better!

Long story short: we are now officially APPROVED to get the very apartment we chose from the blueprint! We will be living in Vista Terraza, a two building (4 stories each) complex located just off the 56fwy in the Carmel Mountain area! Our 2 bedroom, one bath, apartment will be on the fourth floor facing north and overlooking high-end condos and a beautiful preserve! There is an elevator, a trash shute, a pool, a spa, and underground parking. The area is very well-to-do and mostly new buildings so everything is very astheticly pleasing and well maintained. There are tons of sidewalks and nearby running trails for me and Ethan to explore. There is a shopping center just across a small street with an Albertsons, a Pick Up Sticks, an Italian Restaurant, a Submarina, and several other little shops. Blockbuster and Washington Mutual (our bank) are not too far away, either.

We plan to move the last week of April, having completely vacated our current apartment on April 30th. Because of the last-minute nature of our move, our immediate family will not be able to assist us until the unpacking portion of the venture. If anyone can volunteer time to help us pack/move it would be greatly appreciated. Also, we are in need of moving boxes and packing paper (popcorn is too messy). Thank you in advance!

We are very excited about our move! Once we have moved, I will post a message here and you can contact us for our new mailing address and home phone number.

What was I thinking?!!

2006-01-26T16:42:00.000-08:00

Friday, January 20, 2006, I, Kathleen Denly, committed to running the San Diego Rock 'N' Roll Marathon as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training!!! This means that not only do I need to raise $1700 in funds for the Society, but I also have to actually....gulp.... run 26.2 miles! What was I thinking???!!!!

Okay, so I know what I was thinking. I was thinking: 1) I need to do something serious if I'm ever going to get myself back in shape, 2) I've always wanted to doing something awesome for charity- beyond dropping my change in a canister every now and then.

Of course, once I found out how LONG the marathon really was and how much $ I actually had to raise... I had second thoughts. But the longer I thought about it, the more convinced I became that not only COULD I do this, but I SHOULD do this. If a two year old little boy can endure chemotherapy and battle cancer... I think I can do some running and raise a few dollars!

So that's what I'm doing, and I'd LOVE it if you'd help me! My Team In Training website is a great & secure place to donate

http://www.active.com/donate/tntsdh/KathleenDenly

Or you can mail a check made out to "The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society" at:

Attn: Kathleen Denly
12191 Cuyamaca College Dr. E. #409
El Cajon, CA 92019

Please be sure to write: "Kathleen Denly RNR-SD run" in the memo portion of your check.

THANK YOU!!!
Kathleen

A New Family!!!

2005-11-01T19:12:00.000-08:00

October 24, 2005 at 9:17pm Ethan Luke Denly was born and we became a new family! For more information on this exciting event, please visit www.thebabyjournal.blogspot.com ! You will also find a link on that blog for viewing pictures.

A Good Day

2005-10-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

Normally I reserve posts on this blog for the more important things that happen, but today was such a good day that I wanted to share it with everyone!

As many of you may know, I was not blessed with good teeth. In fact, while growing up there was only one time that I ever went to the dentist and heard, "You do not have any cavities." Also, as many of you may know, in the last two years Luke & I have had to sink the price of a small car into repairing my teeth- largely due to decaying metal fillings. Well, the last bit of repair was completed last spring and today I went in for a routine check up and cleaning. And guess what? ...............
For the second time in my entire life, I heard the sentence, "You do not have any cavities" !!!!!!! YEAH!!! He even complemented me on how clean I'd been keeping my teeth! (If you'd been through what I've been through at the dentist, you'd be a little crazy about brushing your teeth, too!) So, needless to say, this started my day off WONDERFULLY!

After that, I ran some errands to purchase a few items needed for completing the Christmas stockings I'm making for Luke, myself, and Ethan. Well, with our tight budget, every penny counts and, SURPRISE, those purchases ended up costing less than 1/2 of what we'd anticipated having to spend! Yeah!

Then, I came home and discovered that a GIANT spider (1" solid body) had built its 5+ foot web across the entryway to our apartment! Now, I know you're thinking, "How is that good?" But the good part is that all I had to do was walk down to management and one of the managers volunteered to get a broom and dispose of the spider RIGHT AWAY! YEAH again!

About 2 hours later I finished loading our dishwasher, filled the soap dish, shut the door and turned the knob.... and nothing. For the 3rd time in about a month our dishwasher didn't work. Again, "How can this be good?" Well, the maintenance staff had already tried to fix it twice before, and had gotten it to run again, but they had been puzzled as to why it was quitting in the first place. (It was a brand new dishwasher when we moved in.) So last time they told me that when it happened again I shouldn't touch anything, but instead call them immediately so that they could come over right away and assess the situation. Soo.... because I had to do laundry anyway (the laundry room is right next to the leasing office), I walked down to management and told them about the dishwasher. They IMMEDIATELY got on the walky-talky and told the maintenance guys, who then IMMEDIATELY stopped what they were doing and buzzed down to my apartment in their little golf cart to see what was going on! And THIS TIME they figured it out! Because I hadn't tried to reset the breaker before calling them (as we are normally told to try), they were able to see that the breaker wasn't "clicking like it's supposed to", meaning it has worn out and now they know that they need to replace it. And they would have done it today, but they need to get a part, so they're going to do it tomorrow!

Now, that's pretty great in and of itself, but it gets even better! When they went to leave, I mentioned that I was going to follow them out to take my garbage to the dumpster (the bags were waiting outside the door) and without hesitation -much to my surprise- one of the guys scooped up my bags and said they would take it there for me!!!

Can I just say how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE living here?!

This has been a really WONDERFUL day!

And while I'm sharing my wonderful day, I'm wondering:

What's the most wonderful thing that's happened to you recently?

The End of an Era

2005-10-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday was my last day of nannying for the twins. *sigh* I am very divided in my emotions over the whole thing. On the one hand, I am physically just not able to keep up with their energy level any more. I often want to take two naps in a day and they don't want to take any on some days! So, it is a relief, to know that I will now be able to set my own schedule and nap when I need to. And I know that it will be good for them to have someone who can keep up with them and play with them like I used to. On the other hand, no one is "as good as me" to take care of them. ;-> I will miss them terribly and of course worry about how they will grow up. I cried off and on all last night over the loss of their daily presence in my life, but I am comforted to know that I can visit them often and that the person chosen to replace me as their nanny will do a good job caring for them. I had the pleasure of being able to work with her for my last two weeks and truly feel secure that she will keep them safe and continue to encourage them to learn. And, although she can't possibly love them as I do ;-> I can see that she is already developing a bond with them and that helps.

So, now begins a new chapter in my life. I am officially a stay-at-home wife now, and will soon be a full-time stay-at-home mom. I have no delusions that I am "quitting work", but instead realize that I am merely changing positions and income status. My days will be equally full with new and different duties from the moment my son arrives, and I am overflowing with eager anticipation of that day. Eventually I may add part-time paid work of some kind to my new full time position (ie. occasional babysitting, notary work, or even freelance writing), but that is to be determined at a later date. From this day forward, my first priority will be to my husband and my child(ren). I cannot imagine a better life than the one God has granted me!

September 2005 Update

2005-09-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

WOW! Sorry for the long hiatus! Okay, so we did move as planned on July 23rd and now are happily situated in our new 2 bedroom apartment- although we are still working on those last dozen boxes and finishing touches like pictures, decoratives, etc. It is very quiet around here (the only noises are the upstairs neighbors' unbalanced washing machine every night and another neighbor's pet birds) and we love the location within the complex. Also, as far as I can tell, none of our neighbors are regular smokers. YEAH! The worst pests we've had to deal with are spiders, but after the ants, they are almost welcome, and not all that frequent visitors. We did have a week where our air conditioner was broken during the beginning of August, but the management did try to fix it and when they couldn't, paid a professional to do the job. It's been working wonderfully ever since!

I am currently in my 8th month of pregnancy (aka 7+months complete) and doing well. (For more details on that, visit www.thebabyjournal.blogspot.com . ) Thus, assuming that things go as planned with regards to finding my replacement, my last day as Nanny to the twins will be Friday, September 30. It's going to be very bittersweet, and of course I do plan to stay in contact with the family.

Luke continues to do well and enjoy his position with the Jamora Lab at UCSD. He has recently completed a preliminary phase to his current project and is excited to be getting to the "real experiments." His current project is looking into the invasive properties of cancer using the hair folicle model.

FYI: Our landline has been reinstated and we can be reached at our former home phone number as well as by our same cell phone number. If you need any of our current contact information, please email me at imjustme24KD@yahoo.com .

The week from HELL!

2005-06-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, I don't have much time, but I wanted to update you all on what has been happening.
As you know, the plan was for Luke and I to move from our 1 bedroom apartment in Rancho San Diego into a 2 bedroom apartment in Lakeside. We were supposed to get the keys to the new place on June 14, but didn't get them until the 17th. Then when we moved in there ended up being several things wrong with the place. (missing garbage disposal cover, burnt out light bulbs, former renter's couch still in the garage, unclean bathrooms, outlets that were loose/didn't work, AC that smelled like cigarrettes, etc.) The worst was the ants and the bees. It turned out there was a 10ft beehive in the wall outside our bedroom and directly above our garage (Luke is deathly allergic and I've never been stung)! It also turned out that these ants must be possessed as they did not appear to have any goal in mind (ie. water/food) other than to invade as much of our stuff and possible (not even closets or dressers were safe) and to drive us insane! In the week following the 17th we found the manager to be completely ineffective and thoroughly dishonest in addressing these issues. We also had the opportunity to speak with several other renters in the complex who informed us that our experience was the norm and not expect management to do much about it. Thus, Saturday, June 24th, we had a final discussion with the manager through which we managed to obtain an agreement for the return of all of our money (application fee, rent, and deposit) under the condition that we move out and hand her the keys by 6pm the following Friday (6 days to find a place, repack, and move). We had this agreement emailed to us for evidence as we no longer found her trustworthy.

Fortunately, with all the time spent combating ants, we'd had little/no time for unpacking farther than what was accomplished immediately upon move in, thus most of our things are either still packed/ easily repackable. The scary part was not knowing for several hours whether we had any place to go to. God had a plan though, and we are pleased to say that we will be moving back into our 1 bedroom in Rancho San Diego until July 23rd, at which point we will be transfered to a 2 bedroom within the same complex in which we have been happy for the last 2 years. Our only real reason for leaving the complex had been financial, but we've worked this issue out and decided that the peace of mind in having a KNOWN excellent management staff and KNOWN complex environment make the cost of living there worth while.

On a practical note, we will be using our cell phone exclusively for the next 3 weeks or so until we transfer to the new 2 bedroom. So, if you do not have this number, please email me for our current contact information: imjustme24KD@yahoo.com

Now, you may think that was a lot to deal with- and it was- but there's more!

In the middle of all of this, last Tuesday morning, we were REAR-ENDED on our first commute from the new (hell) apartment to our jobs. The accident happened less than 2 miles from the apartment, and ironically, the man who hit us turned out to be an auto insurance claims assessor! LOL! Fortunately we were only going about 10mph and we don't appear to have suffered much more damage to the car than a couple paint scratches on the bumper, but with everything else going on, we haven't had a chance to get it inspected proffessionally yet. However, a few minutes after the accident I began experiencing pain in the left lower side of my abdomen and after some discussion with the midwife on call, decided to check in to the Labor and Delivery Unit at the hospital just to be safe. They ran numerous tests on me and everything turned out fine. Both the baby and I are completely unharmed. However, they did keep me for 24hrs of observation. :-( Let's just say, hospital food has a well deserved reputation. :-P However, the nurses and doctors were wonderfully nice and leave me feeling encouraged as it was the same hospital that I am registered to deliver in.

Now, on to some better, more exciting news! The Monday before the accident Luke and I went in for my second ultrasound and the following Wednesday evening I had my regular monthly appointment with the midwife! To read the details, visit: www.thebabyjournal.blogspot.com !

We're Moving!

2005-06-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

Luke and I will be moving to a new apartment in Lakeside, CA on Father's Day weekend! After over 30 hours of phone calls and more than 800 miles spent in the car checking out potentials, we've finally found and secured a new place to live! We're moving into a 880sqft. 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with a garage and 1 permited space. There are plenty of parking spaces, but guests will need to obtain temporary permits (easily done). The new place does not have a rec room or exercise room like our current one, but it does have a very nice pool area and a very close laundry room! YEAH! We are very excited about the move. It will be strange to have "so much space." We are hoping to retain our current phone number as it will be the same area code. However, for our new address, please email me at imjustme24KD@yahoo.com .

On a more general note:

Sunday, May 15th, Luke and I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon visiting with Aunt Kathy, Uncle Spence, Cousins Kevin & Kim and their 3 children, as well as Grandma Judy and Grandpa Bob, when Kathy and Spence invited us to come see their new boat/yacht (?). We had a great time and hope to see everyone again soon!

This last weekend Mark and Lori Carlson came to San Diego and we had a great time shopping, getting massages, going for hikes with Jerry and Katie, and just generally enjoying each other's company. It was a rare weekend of leisure and it was a time for celebrating Luke's recent birthday (May 24th) on which he turned 25!

May 25th I had another monthly visit to the midwife and we've scheduled our next ultrasound for the 20th of June! Be sure to visit thebabyjournal.blogspot.com for further details.

The Big Announcement!!!

2005-04-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

Guess what folks??? Kathleen is PREGNANT!!!!!!!! The baby's estimated due date is November 8th, 2005! We hope you'll check in to The Baby Journal every now and then to see how things are progressing. You can get there by typing or copy/pasting www.thebabyjournal.blogspot.com into the address bar of your web browser. Of course, once the big day arrives, we'll be sure to announce the arrival on this blog as well- but I won't promise promptness! So keep in touch! Don't forget you can email us (checked daily) as well as post comments at either of our sites (checked monthly)- just don't forget to post your name in the text of the message if you post anonymously.

PRAISE THE LORD!

2004-10-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

The last year has been a challenging time for Kathleen and I. When I graduated, the biotech industry as a whole took a huge downward turn and jobs were far and few between. Since graduating in June 2003, I've been promoted three times from the position I held during my school years, but I was never brought on as a full-time employee. I knew that the chance of becoming a full-time employee at my current job would be slim as they didn't need someone with research experience- they needed someone to simply fill the lab requests daily (a job that took only a few hours a day). So I've been looking for a full-time position for over a year and a half now. After putting out over 150 resumes, I only received two interview invitations - one in the summer of 2003 (for a position that would have reaked havoc on our marriage) and one in October 2004. Well, I'm here to tell you that the interview I just completed has flowered into a full-time position. I was the first to interview for this position and the PI and I hit it off. The "official" interview only lasted for 20 minutes, but we wound up talking about research, life, family, etc for over an hour (my interview only ended because it had run into the next interview).

The PI that I will be working for is just setting up his lab and I will serve as his lab manager as well as doing supporting research. Also, the possibility is there for me to do my own project. The lab studies morphogenesis, and will be a very positive experience for me. If you would like to learn more about what the lab is studying, follow this link to the lab's info page: http://www-biology.ucsd.edu/faculty/jamora.html

I want to thank you all for your prayers and encouragement over the last year, it has meant a lot to Kathleen and I. I think this also goes to show that the LORD our God is sovereign over EVERYTHING and has perfect timing. I encourage anyone that is going through a rough patch in their life to realize that there are times for everything on the road through life and that God has granted everything to pass and He will use your experiences for His ultimate glory! As Ecclesiastes 3:1 states, "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven". Enjoy the time you're in and be still and know that He is God.

Luke

Wedding Pictures

2004-09-19T23:11:00.000-07:00

Luke took all of the wedding pictures you see below! Can you believe "Dancing In The Moonlight" is a candid shot?! If you'd like a copy of any of these pictures, please email us.

Don't forget to leave your comments in the Guest Book!

Honeymoon here we come!

2004-09-19T22:47:00.000-07:00

Honeymoon here we come!
Originally uploaded by Luke and Kathleen.

Wendy and Marc enjoyed a week long honeymoon which included a luxury hotel, camping by the lake, and the Nascar Races. They've asked me to thank everyone for their gifts.