Count down...

The count down until school starts again is on... And there's currently 5 more days (in just a few hours, we'll be looking at 4 more days *SIGH!*). In addition to the second semester of Koine Greek, I'm taking Historical Theology and I anticipate a lot of reading...

So, what have we been up to these days? Well, I passed another milestone just recently - I'm now 30 years old (shiver up the spine!). Can you believe it?? I guess I never fathomed that I could be so OLD! I guess, based on my recent posts, it's not to difficult to believe (another sigh!). So, on my list of things to do (I'll share that later), I had that I wanted to paint a bit in our Pomona house and since Will's of the opinion that I should complete one task at a time (and I'm still not done with Rialto - SIGH!) starting Pomona wasn't a welcomed idea. Anyway, so for my birthday, kind, wonderful people sent me $$ and guess what I decided!?! That's right! The master bathroom looks AWESOME! I got clearance from him before I proceeded to Home Depot for the beige paint (which isn't really as dull as it sounds!). Will even said that he should have let me do this before! I took before pictures (and even found my digital camera!), so I fully intend to post them sometime soon... I also painted our bedroom which didn't turn out as great as I had hoped. I picked out a green (even went outside the store to make sure that it matched the swatch I was eyeing) and I thought of the colors I selected, I got the closest... Well, so our room has a nice, more on the brighter side shade of green than I'd like. I was going for a grayish-green color... But, since I'm starting school again, I'll have to live with it for at least 4 months. It's not really THAT bad!

So, anyway, that was my birthday gift to myself! Strange? Will was kind and took me to get an hour massage. We also went to see National Treasure - a movie we both appreciated.

Another project I've been massaging for a long time is a sewing project I started a long time ago and just never really stayed committed to. Some of you remember my Amazing Grace counted cross stitch project. I completed it about 4 years ago and gave it to one of my friends. Well, my stepmother LOVED it, and although I started one immediately afterwards, I totally lost track of it & momentum. So, I'm back to making more progress... but this will also come to a hault until school is done.

Other items I had on my TO DO List include:

• Exceling in Greek (done!)
• Buying a garden hose (done!)
• Cleaning/Organizing up my computer hard drive & burning CDs for back up (done!)
• Copying wedding photos onto a CD for my mom (done!)
• Cleaning out the garage in Rialto (done!)
• Purchasing a dining room table (done!)

Items Still to Complete:

• Finish painting in Rialto
• Remove the debris in backyard at Rialto
• Posting pictures of Pomona on my blog
• Purchasing new window coverings for our bedroom (Pomona)
• Buying a new dog leash
• Replacing HVAC filters for both Rialto & Pomona
• Purchase towels
• Plan/Organize/Clean closet
• Determine how to hang new lighting in Pomona
• Organize & develop photos from wedding (yes, I know!)

I usually aim pretty high and so while both lists are pretty lengthy, it's good to see movement. I'm also handling many other items which are not listed (no, I don't always add the items I recently completed just to see that I've completed them). And actually, technically, this was my TO DOs through March 8th (since that's about the time Will's late night shifts have the most potential to change to whatever position he has the most seniority to boot someone else from). Also, some of these items I will just have to accept that I can't finish on time. Rialto is probably the biggest hold up since this is the season when the winds tear through that area so intensely. A few weeks ago I went out and my hat was blown off my head & my paint containers (which were sealed) flipped over!! I decided at that point, it was time to pack me and my ladder up!

In other news, I've also decided to try to read through the Bible in a year. The course our church (new one BTW - more on that in a minute) recommended is a little peculiar. I've seen other "curriculum" (if you will) that starts in Genesis & proceeds forward. I've also seen those where you read a couple of chapters a day from the OT & then a couple from the NT. This one is unique in that you start on Jn 1:1-18 (Day 1), Genesis 1-19 (Days 2 - 6), then Psalms 1-4 (Day 7), then back to Gen 20-22 (Day 8), then Job 1-20 (through Day 13), then Psalms, then Job & the pattern continues until you've read through Genesis & Job & proceed into Exodus, Leviticus, etc. with Psalms as your main "intermission". It's an intriguing way to proceed & definitely keeps you flipping! Confession: I'm a bit behind and this evening, one of my ideas was to get caught up.

We decided, after months of consideration, to stop going to So. OC for church.... For several reasons, actually. It's a good move for us, and two of the greatest benefits is that the church is in Pomona (gasp!) & both Will & I can attend together (gasp again!). It's been fun to connect with some acquaintances that I've lost touch with (from even my days at Mt SAC) & we're currently trying out a couple of different fellowships, but haven't really found the right fit yet. I shouldn't probably share this here, but I was disappointed on Friday night last week when a couple from one of the groups we had attended seemed really eager to hang out with us... and I thought to build friendships. It turns out they were only working to market themselves for monthly missionary support... I can waiver that in my head as to the higher goals of the Kingdom & such, but I really didn't appreciate the misleading approach. *SIGH!*

And finally, on a bright note, my sister had her third baby girl! Crazy!! Raeley Jenna Olivia was born on 1/14. She's healthy & greeted by her two big sisters. Trip out!!