Mickschls in Kentucky

Wheels

2012-01-03T15:10:00.000-05:00

Skates and scooters..

For Christmas Josephine received her own, never been used before scooter. She was so excited! The other night she used her scooter to stall going to bed. The call went out "bedtime!" and she raced to and jumped on her scooter, scooting back and forth from kitchen to dining room she started singing the alphabet song at the top of her lungs. As she flew back in forth from room to room with her blond pigtails flowing behind her she new she was achieving her goal. We did let her stay up a little longer so we could see the twinkle in her eye and the smile on her face.

Evelyn received a pair of 4 wheeled roller skates for Christmas. She will be receiving lessons from a friend of Shawn's from seminary. Last time I took Evie to skate we ended up on the floor. A lot! This friend that is giving the lessons has participated in roller derby. In thinking about this, roller derby might just be Evie's thing. A team sport, rough, loud, good exercise and uses strategy. Evelyn is always thinking ahead. We might be on to something here, but I guess she should learn how to skate first.

Extra Seasons of Wilmore

2011-06-02T08:17:00.000-04:00

Every place has their general four seasons. Wilmore and the surrounding area has a few extra each year. Our seasons are Summer, Hello, Fall, Winter, Spring and Good-bye.

Our family really enjoys the Hello season. This is a time to get to know the new neighbors, church goers, Asbury Seminary and Asbury University folks, invite them in and make new friends. We like to show people the area and let them in on all the things we have already learned. We enjoy cook outs, dinners, play dates, drop in visits and just hanging out.

The Good-bye season doesn't seem to get any easier as the time passes. We know it is coming with each family we get to know and let into our hearts. Shawn, Evelyn and I could rattle off a slew of families we have loved and allowed to leave Wilmore. This year among all of those that are leaving is the Hart Family. We were blessed to get to know them over the past few years.

The great thing about Christian community is that we are all connected by a great big God who loves us and teaches us how to love others.

Joey, Shawn, Tammy, Liz, Noah and Jonathan

Liz, Noah, Jonathan and Evie

Joey with her God parents.

Pool Party!!

2011-05-30T10:08:00.000-04:00

Pool Party!!!!

We are having a wonderful visit with my sister Denise. Yesterday we got in the pool and had non-alcoholic margaritas. Nothing is cuter than a 2 year old hollering MARGARITA! Here are some pictures.

Mother's Day redo

2011-05-26T14:36:00.002-04:00

The actual day of Mother's Day was certainly something else. It showed me how everyday can be without the very important Father in my life. Both God and my husband.

Shawn was gracious enough to have a Mother's Day redo. We drove up to Cincinnati after church on Sunday, May 15th. I was treated to a hot stone message while Shawn drove the girls around. After that we stopped at a bakery for some delicious goods at Busken's Bakery. We then headed off to see the International Butterfly Show at Krohn's Conservatory. The butterflies were beautiful. Evelyn loved to have them land on her and pick them up. Joey loved to watch until we put one on her. She freaked out and wanted to leave after that moment. We finished up the evening by going out to dinner at a Teppanyaki Grill Restaurant. I love watching my food be on fire as did the rest of my family. It was a wonderful day. I am so blessed to be a mom!
Here are some pictures from our Mother's Day adventure.

Mom and the girls - Evie 7 and Joey 2

Evie loved catching the butterflies. This is very funny because she usually runs from anything that flies.

There were also beautiful flowers.

Daddy and Evie - Age 7

Shawn and the butterfly that freaked Joey out.

Dinner being cooked up.

Are you Kidding?

2010-08-12T10:28:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it. The summer is almost over, Evie is back in school. School officially started on 08/11/10. She was excited, but nervous. She had heard that her teacher was mean. She told me that the day went well and they will have a bunny in the class to help take care of. She loves bunnies.
Here is a picture of her new boots for school.

Happy Birthday Norma

2010-04-13T21:59:00.003-04:00

Birthday Wishes from the Family in Kentucky.

We recently got a new camera and are finding out what it can do. Here is a few examples.

Date Night!

2010-04-02T07:43:00.003-04:00

We were so blessed with an offer from friends for dinner and child care. Our lives have been so crazy lately, we just needed to get out. We made it an evening of fun and a progressive dinner. Some of the wait staff thought this was a great idea (and got decent tips) others thought we were not worth their time and put their energy elsewhere. None-the-less we had a wonderful time.

Our adventure started with horsd'oeuvres at Red Lobster. We had the Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut Shrimp Hand-dipped in Red Lobster's signature batter, then tossed in coconut and fried golden brown. Served with piña colada sauce. You can't beat their Coconut Shrimp. It is so good and no one else has that wonderful sauce.

For dinner we went to Olive Garden. We had Steak Gorgonzola-Alfredo*
Grilled beef medallions drizzled with balsamic glaze, served over fettuccine tossed with spinach and gorgonzola-alfredo sauce. We enjoyed the salad and bread sticks. For some reason I didn't like the beef with the alfredo. It must be that I always have chicken.

Dessert was at Giuseppe's. A local Italian Restaurant. We had Tiramisu and Spumoni. They were both delicious and a perfect way to end our evening.

The night was wonderful.

We returned home and heard the great stories of the adventures our children children had from the evening and then we took the dogs to the back yard. We looked up at the sky which was clear and beautiful. The stars were so bright. We were thankful for the God that made us and brought us together and our wonderful friends and family that support us through life. What an amazing gift!

Victory 5K

2009-11-21T12:52:00.006-05:00

I participated in my first 5K on November 7th, 2009 in Lexington Kentucky. It was called the Victory 5K. I finished in 98th place at 44 minutes and 27 seconds. Not bad for my first time out of the starting gate. I started my run with Jennifer and started running too quicky finishing the first mile. It turned out to be all uphill from there. We met Angie walking during our second mile and joined up with her. Evelyn was a willng participant in the 3rd and finale mile of the race. It was so wonderful to finish, to have a number at the end. I will be continuing my trek to one day completely run a 5K and then I may move onto longer distances. This is just the beginning...

My friends Angie and Jennifer

and the horn blows
I'm off
I can see the finish line
Woo Hoo!

Official Results

Videos By Shawn

2009-10-05T09:39:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple videos used during worship services highlighting new or growing ministries at Nicholasville United Methodist Church. A year and half ago a new addition was finished that had been prayed about and worked toward for over a quarter century. Now, as Pastor Mike Snyder put it, "God has moved in," and it is amazing to see God working in and through this community of faith, and to see our people respond as the Hands and Feet of Jesus! Shawn was afforded the opportunity to assemble pictures of what has been going on into video form. Please pray for continued movement by the Holy Spirit in Nicholasville and Jessamine County.

Interesting historical note: The hymn, "Great is Thy Faithfulness" was written by a fellow named Thomas Chisholm, born and raised in Kentucky. Thomas gave his life to Christ at the age of 27 while attending a campmeeting led by a man named Henry Clay Morrison. Mr. Morrison founded Asbury Theological Seminary which is where Shawn attends school.

Peek-a-boo

2009-09-12T15:20:00.003-04:00

Here is a cute video of Joey playing peek-a-boo with her stroller. This stroller is not going to make it to #3!

University of Kentucky Arboretum

2009-09-12T14:40:00.004-04:00

Evelyn, Joey and I took a walk around the UK Arboretum today. They were having a bird house display set up and you were to vote on the one you like most. Here are some pictures from our outing. Evie scootered throughout and had a wonderful time and Joey was in her stroller. I think Joey enjoyed the Koi in the pond the most, while Evelyn's favorite was seeing a princess themed bird house. It was a great free adventure for us. If you are in Kentucky and have a chance to go before September 14th, I would suggest you take a trip there.

Tim Hawkins-My favorite Bible verse

2009-08-31T08:30:00.001-04:00

You ain't gonna see that cross-stitched on a pillow!

Opening gifts

2009-08-12T09:58:00.006-04:00

Just want to share some cute video's of Joey opening presents. She actually got to do it herself, but we practically had to tie Evelyn up!

First Day of 1st Grade

2009-08-12T09:31:00.005-04:00

Well, today we sent Evelyn off to the 1st grade. I can't say there weren't any tears shed...from mom and dad. She was so excited to get back to school.

We went to an open house on Monday where Evie met her teacher Mrs. Heather Smith. We got to see Evelyn's classroom and where she will be sitting. Evie pointed out to Mrs. Smith that our last name was spelled wrong and that it needed to be fixed. We brought in all of Evie's school supplies and put them in her cubby. After Evie found her desk and cubby she went running off to the reading corner. She sat herself down in the rocking chair and starting reading the books.

Evelyn was excited to show us the school's computer lab, gym, cafeteria and library. She was disapponted to find that the library was locked!

Well she is off to day one and I took the day off so I could be home for her first day of school. I'm excited to hear what happened today. Please enjoy these pictures of Evelyn.

Evie getting on the bus.
First day of school outfit. Purple dress and new brown cowgirl boots.

The sign outside of Evie's school.

Front of the school.

Evelyn and Mrs. Smith

Offishul Chickin Eatin Day: July 10

2009-07-28T17:03:00.004-04:00

Our family went to Cow Appreciation Day at our local Chick-fil-A. This is a christian fast food place and we love to go there. On this day if we dressed like a cow we got a free meal. The website had a kit to print off. Of course we did it! Joey had a great time ripping off our spots and we all enjoyed our free meal. Food tastes so much better when someone else makes it or pays for it! ;-)

Joey's New Toy

2009-07-23T00:35:00.003-04:00

Joey found a new toy and had a great time, until it was time to wash her down. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Josephine

2009-07-23T00:00:00.006-04:00

We celebrated Josephine's 1st Birthday this past Sunday, July 19th. We had a backyard party in the beautiful weather. Before the party Joey was grabbing at her cake, but wouldn't you know it when it was time to have at it, she barely touched it. I wasn't going to let her get away with that. I stripped her down and gave her a second chance sitting on the table right next to it. She mostly played with it with her feet. Silly girl.

Happy Birthday Evelyn!

2009-07-19T08:04:00.005-04:00

On Thursday, July 16th we celebrated Evelyn's 6th birthday. It was a lovely affair with a royal tea party complete with a royal feast to start the bash. The girls were seated at the head table on the front porch and loved every minute. Here are some pictures from the days events.

Construction

2009-07-12T21:27:00.003-04:00

Our lives are constantly under construction as our family grows and changes here in Kentucky. Recently we have been doing some physical changes to our house. Here are some pictures of our bathroom. It is almost done and we are excited about it.

Vacation

2009-05-18T22:13:00.008-04:00

Shawn, Evelyn, Josephine and I were blessed to have gone to Arizona on vacation. We were gone from May 1st through the 9th. We stayed with Shawn's cousin Kathy and her husband Chris. It was a wonderful vacation, fun for everyone I'd say. Kathy and Chris did a wonderful job of letting us feel at home and stepping back into their life as if we hadn't been missing. Evelyn got a kick out of looking for the wild horses on every car ride out of town. We even saw them a few times. Joey loved perfecting her crawling skills, Shawn enjoyed hitting the golf course after a 3 year hiatus and I got to enjoy a bath all by myself, with no one in the house. Ah, peace and quite. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

Joey and Aunt Kathy
Chris and Evie celebrating early birthdays.

The girls at the zoo. See the tortoise behind them?

Shawn and I at the Hoover Dam

Proof of the Hoover Dam

This was the first warm pool Joey has ever been in. She loved it as much as her older sister did!

Evelyn's favorite past times, reading and being a cowgirl.

We were able to visit Route 66 on our way to Las Vegas.

The gang at the Grand Canyon.

Joey enjoying the planes and ground crew.

A Paradigm Shift

2009-04-28T22:13:00.006-04:00

Today is the day our world changed. You would think that day would have been when Joey was born, but today affects every square inch of our living space. The child can no longer be contained. She has started to CRAWL. Shawn accidentally got this first event on video. Grab some popcorn, sit back and watch the fun begin.

Karate

2009-03-12T22:25:00.004-04:00

These are pictures from Evelyn's first karate lesson. From the look in her eyes we might have hit the jackpot here. She gets 2 private lessons before joining other children in classes. We just have to remind her not to punch her parents when they haven't asked for it. I mean really asked for it...verbally.

Here is a video of Evie's lesson. It is fun to watch.

Matching Outfits

2009-03-12T22:01:00.004-04:00

Aunt Kathy and Uncle Chris sent the girls matching outfits. Evie was so excited! I decided to do a little photo shoot. Here are some of the pictures.

Here is a video of Joey swinging. It is VERY cute, but be prepared if you get motion sick.

February is Gone Already?

2009-03-03T22:03:00.005-05:00

I can't even believe February is gone. We were blessed to have our friends Rebekah and Graig Kubista come and stay with us. We had a great time. I hope they did too. Here are some pictures that they don't know are on the website.

While Shawn was working on his paper we went and explored Lexington. Here is Graig, Evelyn, Rebekah and Joey at Thoroughbred Park.

We also managed to make it out to Highbridge, our big tourist spot near Wilmore. It was warm, but windy at the overhang.

Rebekah and I got to do some window shopping. You should have seen what we tried on. It was a blast!

Here are some other random pictures.

Evie participating in her favorite past time.

Valentine's Week

2009-02-15T21:19:00.007-05:00

This past week Evelyn got her cast off. Yeah! She ended up with a sore on the top of her foot and an open sore about the size of a Sacajawea Gold Dollar on her heal. This might have been some of the cause of the stink that was coming from the cast. She is on her way to healing both of those and loving taking baths again.

Joey and Evie and I were going through Evelyn's clothes and I was able to catch the two f them in Evie's new mirror. I thought this was precious and wanted to share.

Evelyn insisted that Joey be put in this little red wagon. It was cute, but Joey's diapered bottom got wedged in. She wasn't sure after awhile if she liked it or not.

Here is a picture of the girls on Valentine's Day. We got a V-day Dairy Queen cake from Grammie and Grampie Mickschl. Right after the picture, Joey stuck her foot in the cake. That was the tastiest baby foot I've ever eaten.

Here is a short video of Joey opening her gift from Aunt Kathy and Uncle Chris. She'll be a pro by the time her birthday rolls around. She seemed to have the hang of it today.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone. Our day was spent folding laundry, meeting with friends and hanging out with other friends. Not very romantic for Shawn and myself, but we're saving that for the couple's retreat we are going on through the Seminary next weekend. We wish everyone lots of love and happiness this coming year and remember it doesn't have to be celebrated on Valentine's Day.

Life Goes On

2009-02-10T22:27:00.002-05:00

Life keeps marching along. Here is a few pictures from the other week.

Evelyn put this "cape" on Joey and pronounced them Super Sisters. Joey was the "Super Sidekick and Evelyn was the "Super Sister".

This is a funny picture of Joey and her bath toys. She loves to take baths!

Here is Joey and I with our giant Valentine's Day Card.

It was the biggest we had ever seen. Shawn and Evie show off the inside.

Ice Storm

2009-02-01T00:29:00.002-05:00

Crazy, Crazy, Crazy. This was the state of affairs that my family is in now that they have spent nearly 7 days in our house. Shawn had not left since Sunday 01/25 and Evie and Joey since 01/24. This storm shut down the schools and made driving dangerous at times. It was the ice that made things difficult. It brought down lots of tree limbs and uprooted trees. Took down power and telephone lines and blocked roads. The toughest part about driving this week for me was missing the tree limbs in the road. Luckily, we did not lose power and were blessed to have our friends stay with us a few days. It was fun to have a captive audience and to learn more about them. Kinda like a zoo, and a zoo it was at times. When I was walking around today I ran into utility workers from North Caroline here to fix the power. I said hello and thanked the gentleman for his service. Here are some pictures from after the storm, before the next one the state is a buzz about.

Happy 6 month birthday Joey!

2009-01-20T00:02:00.006-05:00

In just 6 short months one little baby has managed to capture the hearts of many people, both family and friends. Thank you to everyone who helps love on Joey. She is a light to our eyes and warms our heart. Happy Birthday Joey.

This Week...What a Week!!

2009-01-17T16:21:00.002-05:00

This was an amazing week. In both good and bad ways. Here is a brief break down.

Bad...Evie broke her ankle

Good...Great pharmacy, Drug Mart, in Nicholasville that delivers medication to house since we ran out of pain meds and Shawn is at home with the girls with no car. (Due to having only one car.)

Good...fought for an appointment and had her seen in 3 days rather than the 10 the orthopedic clinic wanted the appointment for. Besides being broken, turns out she already had pressure sores on her heal and top of her foot. This could have turned into open sores and other problems had I backed down.

Good...Evelyn got a walking cast and is back to her old self, but a lot louder when moving around the house.

Bad...Electrical fire in only vehicle. This happened when Shawn and the girls were leaving for above appointment.

Good...Had 2 cars to use within 5 minutes to get Evelyn to doctors appointment on time.

Good...Van did not explode like mechanic said it could have.

Good...Have a friend that loaned us a car until ours was fixed.

Good...Car was fixed in 24 hours.

Bad...Cost to fix car.

Bad...Had a flat tire less than 24 hours after getting van back.

Good...After 30 minutes of trying to figure out how to change a flat, nice young man stopped and helped me in the freezing weather.

Bad....Pipes frozen in Kentucky House.

Good....Was able to babysit for KY friends and find friends to play with Evelyn.

Good...Have friends that came out in the freezing weather to unfreeze pipes.

Bad...Pipes frozen again.

Good...Friends came back to help unfreeze, this time stopped at Lowes for extra supplies.

Good....Found a friend small enough to fit under house to fix pipe.

Bad...Washer is sounding funny.

Good...Randomly sprayed WD40 around until sound stopped.

Bad...Washer forgot how to spin out and how to unlock door.

Good...Don't have to fold and put away laundry because machine not working.

Good...All of the blessings that God continually pours down on us. Without the knowledge that we are doing what he has called us to do I think I might go crazy. I feel so blessed to have such friends and community. I also feel blessed that I can call my family and friends and vent to them, know that they are praying for us and supporting us. I can't help but laugh at what has happened this past week. It is almost comical. I hope and pray we are done. If I had a TV show to make about this, I would call it Worst Week. Oh wait, that title has been taken already.

Evie Breaks a Leg....er Ankle

2009-01-11T16:58:00.006-05:00

Evelyn stepped wrong today and ended up breaking a piece off the bottom of her distal fibula and separating one of her ankle bones farther than where it should be. Here is a picture that shows Evelyn's current mode of transportation. The smile didn't last for long and she seems to be in quite a bit of pain even though she is taking Tylenol with codeine. Please keep her in your prayers as we find out if a simple cast will fix it or surgery is needed.

Happy New Year and Merry Christmas

2009-01-08T22:59:00.009-05:00

December was a whirlwind of a month. We couldn't wait to go to Minnesota and see our family and friends. Some things that we forgot about MN living in the winter... pop freezes and explodes when left in the car, and electronics left in the car must thaw before use can occur. Some of the things that we didn't forget is that we have family and friends that love us no matter what. It was good to go home and be welcomed back into the fold like we hadn't been gone.

Here are some pictures from Christmas.

Josephine and Evelyn

Our family, Christmas Eve/Josephine's Baptism

Darrell, Norma, Shawn, Jacki, Kasey, Josephine, Grace, Evelyn

Terry, Luke, Josephine, Tammy, Erich, Sue, Denise, Evelyn, Shawn

Our Little Piece of Americana

2008-12-05T10:29:00.005-05:00

Last night was a wonderful night for me. I think of the line in the Christmas Song, Silent Night, all is calm all is bright. As I stepped off our front porch in my small town of Wilmore a wonderful thing happened. I forgot all of my cares and worries for a few hours.

Shawn, Evelyn , Josephine and I were off to a neighborhood party. We came out of the front door and Evelyn said with her child like excitement"Look Hank and Winter have Christmas lights up!" Shawn and I acknowledged that and talked about Christmas lights for a little bit. We then walked up the street and ran into Earl. "Hi Earl! we shouted, Who are you fighting now?" Earl is our neighbor boy with an imagination you wish every child would have. He said we couldn't see this one that he was fighting agains and it was especially dangerous. Then we walked up to our friends house the Sleeth's and were greeted at the door with smiling faces as the sound of cheer and merriment floated out to greet us. Matthew helped get Joey out of her bunting and then proceeded to leave with her to be part of the party. Inside, we ran into other friends and neighbors we knew, exchanging hugs and updating each other with what went on over the Thanksgiving holiday and what our Christmas plans were going to be. Making sure that all of our animals would be cared for while each of us were out of town. I introduced myself to people I didn't know, ate food that I wasn't sure of the contents and had a great time. Evelyn played with the other little children and Josephine was passed around. Smiling and sleeping, charming people with her radiant smile that reached her eyes and her rosie cheeks (from being too warm). We finished off the evening when Joey started to act hungry and started getting fussy. We said our goodbyes and quickly exited the house. We didn't want the charm of the evening to wear off. We stepped outside into the cool night air that greeted us. The sky was full of brightly lite stars and the sound of Evelyn's inquiry/statement/wish..It would be a great night for a campfire?. Then she heard the train and started making train noises back at it. I enjoyed our walk home. My family together, enjoying each other, enjoying the company we had kept, enjoying our little piece of Americana.

Crazy Mixed Up Halloween

2008-11-13T23:12:00.003-05:00

Our little town of Wilmore is great for get togethers. I love Halloween and Christmas in our town. They put a firetruck on each end of main street and open all of the business for trick-or-treating. (For Christmas it is caroling and hot apple cider, fresh baked cookies and hot chocolate. ) The Methodist church even hands out hot dogs and hot chocolate. It is a great time to run into people that you haven't seen in awhile and see how their imagination is working on this day that you can dress up as anything you want and most people won't question you. For those of you worried about our family and Halloween, you need not be. We are using this day at face value. We get to dress up as whatever we want and no one questions you and then you get to walk around and get free candy. That is all this day is for us.

The next day, November 1st was also celebrated. Our family had a lot of talks about the Saints that went before us. God is continually working in our life and has great plans for us. Maybe one day I'll be a recognized saint. Anyone want to start a petition with me now? ;-)

Anyway here are some pictures from Halloween...

Shawn decided he was going to be Cotton Candy for Halloween.
The girls after a night out on the town. Shawn gets in the action too!

Our family picture. You can never have enough of them. Shawn is cotton candy (he really just wanted his beard and hair to be pink, Evie is a cowgirl, Joey is Tigger (she was going to be a jojo potato, but nobody in this state knows what one is) and I'm a cowgirl (unless I'm feeding Joey and then I'm just a cow! heheheh).

This picture was from pumpkin carving. Evie was grossed out.

Not sure why Evie is posing like this, but I thought it was pretty funny!

Evelyn Doing Homework

2008-11-13T23:01:00.002-05:00

Evelyn got to bring a character home from school and was writing in a journal about Toot's adventure at the Mickschl house.

Smiling...

2008-11-13T22:37:00.002-05:00

Joey just loves to smile. I hope you do to.

Joey's Video Debut

2008-10-11T19:45:00.005-04:00

It would be great if there was sound, but for those that can't see Joey in person you can see how big she is getting.

Watch for her to smile, it can melt your heart.

Evelyn Having Fun

2008-10-03T11:57:00.003-04:00

This is a picture of Evelyn and the East Jessamine School mascot. Evie couldn't get enough of this Jaguar. If you ask her she will tell you she hugged or got his attention 5 times. She was much more interested in the mascot than she was the East vs. West football game. Shawn, Joey, Evelyn and I really enjoyed watching the game and hanging out with our friends the Barnes.

This is Evelyn on here scooter. I got her to stop long enough to get a snapshot. She can scoot like no one else's business. She has gotten very good on it coasting long distances. Her number of falls has decreased significantly. Now when she does fall it is a sight to behold. Thank God for knee pads and helmets or we would be visiting the hospital on a regular basis.

Smiling...

2008-10-03T10:44:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures of our smiling girl. Josephine has really started to recognize us and smile when we are near her. We can actually get her to smile and it is for sure no longer "possibly" gas. We are intrigued by how aware she is of her surroundings now. Testing her watchful gaze by moving around. Evelyn loves the smiles she gets when she is near. Evie will now dance in front of Joey and is starting to play those baby games. There is nothing like 100 rounds of peek-a-boo. It is so cute.

Joey is also getting to be master of her head. Here is a picture I took on Wednesday, October 1st while we were listening to the band practice for Sunday worship. She loves the music and trying to find out where it is coming from. I also got some video of her head/neck skills, but can't figure out how to put it on here. I'll keep working on it. You will be amazed.

Just look at those chubby cheeks. It makes you just want to reach out and pinch them. Joey now weighs in at 11lbs 4oz.

Hoof-A-Nanny

2008-09-23T06:22:00.003-04:00

Evelyn, Joey and I had a girls day out. We spent the whole day together and ended it at the annual Lions Club Hoff-A-Nanny. Evelyn enjoyed seeing the horses in action. There were so many kids that participated. There were even some so small they couldn't stay on the horse by themselves. It is quite funny to see one parent running and holding a child on and the other parent trying to pull the horse as fast as it can go. Great effort by the parents, it something I surely would not do.

Here is a gal at opening ceremonies.

Evelyn loves this hat. She also wore her pink cowboy boots.

One example of parental participation.

This is a picture of Evelyn watching the barrel racing. I think this might get expensive.

This is where Joey enjoyed the Hoof-A-Nanny from. The confines of a wrap. She was nice and cozy (she has her pacifier in this picture, it is a family blog after all) and warm all night long. I kept her hidden in there so they wouldn't try to charge me admission for her again.

Lebak visit

2008-09-23T06:14:00.004-04:00

We were so blessed to have so many family come and visit us. I'll update more photos when I get a chance.

Here are some pictures from the visit from Jacki, Matt, and Grace. We had a great time hanging out with family. It surely is something we miss from Minnesota.

Here is Jacki, Matt, and Grace hanging out with Joey. Evelyn was still at school when they arrived. Evelyn was so excited to see them. She practically flew off the bus when she got home.

We had a pic-nic up at Highbridge park. Here Evelyn is practicing her right as an older cousin and showing Gracie around.

We all went out for ice cream at my favorite place. Brusters! Grace managed to get ice cream on her foot and in her arm pit. It was a sight to see. Don't worry, Joey got to have some ice cream too, it just took longer to get to her.

After church on Sunday we went to the apple orchard. Ate some apples and snuck some peaches. Evelyn had a great time catching butterlies and other bugs. Grace caught herself a few times.

First Day of School

2008-09-03T23:32:00.006-04:00

Evelyn was so excited to start Kindergarten.

Here is a picture of Evie and her new teacher Ms. Randolph. Evelyn likes her being the teacher because she plays games.

Here is Grandma and Grandpa Pirate, Auntie Denise and Evelyn on open house night.

Evelyn and Joey pose for pictures.

Shawn and I can't believe our little girl is grown up and will be riding the bus the four blocks to school. It feels so good to send her off when she is excited to learn. I hope she stays that way.

Here she is getting on the bus. There are three adults on the bus: the driver, a person to help her on the bus, and someone to help with the seat belts.

The first day of school was amazing for Evelyn, she was so excited she couldn't tell us anything about it. We pretty much had to drag it out of her. They had lunch, played games and went on a gingerbread man hunt. She strives every day to get a green star from her teacher. Any other color will mean that she miss behaves. When she leaps off the bus at the end of the day she tells us right away what color she got. She is very proud of herself and we are proud of her.

The Newest Addition Is....

2008-08-24T23:14:00.007-04:00

Josephine Iszabella

She was born just 3 days after Evelyn's birthday. Here are some pictures. She weighed in at 6 pounds 4 ounces and 20 inches long.

All wrapped up. First picture with Mommy and Daddy.

She already has Daddy in the palm of her hand!

Joey had to go to the NICU for breathing problems. Luckily, she was only there for a short time.

Finally, they let me be with my baby. It was a long time before I could spend any time with her, Shawn didn't come to the NICU because he wasn't feeling well and didn't want to get the babies sick.

Our very first family photo.

Who came first the Chicken or the Egg?

2008-07-25T19:17:00.004-04:00

The answer is Evelyn.

We celebrated Evie's birthday on July 16th with many family and friends. It was a luau themed party with a trip to the pool and then food and fun in our backyard. Evelyn had a great time. It was truly a day to remember.

Shawn got his first opportunity to use a friend's smoker and really enjoyed it. I often catch him looking through the cookbook for ways to smoke different things. If I were in Kentucky I'd say the squirrels better watch out!

Here are some pictures from the big day.

5 Years Old!
Cake decorated by Grampy Mickschl, enough for an army!
The army playing in the backyard.
Evie and her friends
Enjoying cake.

Barefoot and Pregnant in Kentucky

2008-06-28T20:09:00.004-04:00

Just trying to fit in. 40 days to go!

9 months and counting

2008-06-23T13:24:00.002-04:00

Wow....My co-worker said today, "she shouldn't be doing that, she's 9 months pregnant". (And I didn't, for those of you concerned.) This sounded so foreign to me. Just a little over 6 weeks to go before the newest Mickschl comes into our family.

Evelyn has plans for a huge party/carnival/festival complete with merry go round, hay rides, cotton candy and sno cones. We asked her when she was going to get a few jobs to pay for all of her planning and she said "wait a minute, hold on, we'll make this stuff ourselves."

My blood pressure is good. It was 104/70 the other day. No signs of bed rest, for that I am very thankful. I'm still waiting for my nesting instinct to kick in, of course, I've never been much of a nester. We'll see what happens. This baby is on the move already. I don't remember Evelyn being so active. Flips and turns, jabs and pokes. I don't know which end is up, but I'm sure it has been there several times. It must know that to survive in our house you have to be ready to hit the ground running. Evie likes to come over and say things into my belly button to the baby, I don't know what she is saying half the time, but I'm sure the baby is getting used to the big sister hollering at it.

Our Little Angel

2008-01-06T22:16:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

This was our first Christmas away from home and it was a busy one. Evelyn was in a Christmas pageant at church. Visit http://www.numcky.org/ to view pictures from the pageant. Evelyn did a fantastic job and even had a solo!
We missed our family tremendously, but did enjoy the season. We continued our tradition with our family Christmas Eve party with made from scratch angel food cake and a birthday party for Jesus.

On Christmas Day we hosted an "I'll not be home for Christmas Party" for anyone that would not be with family. It was a fun filled afternoon with friends. Shawn even got to play poker.

Holiday Review

2007-12-09T22:25:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!

We have been one busy family. Let me just say that one more time. We have been one busy family. I used to complain that I didn't have anything to do at work. Now I have so much to do that I'm even getting to work overtime. This is great at this time because we are working on becoming debt free. This will be a long process with a lot of sacrifices, but we are prepared to work on it whole heartedly. Shawn has picked up a second job to work on this as well.

Shawn has been accepted to Asbury Seminary. God sure has a plan for us and he seems to be moving it in fast forward right now. Call Shawn sometime and ask him about it.

Evelyn is busy with school and dance. A few weeks ago she had a dance recital. She is a ham and loves to be on stage. Her class danced to I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. Here are some pictures from that day.

Some down time before the recital.
Evie is the tallest in her class, but not the oldest.

We snuck back on stage after the performance and took a few family pictures.

Daddy and Evie always a photogenic pair.

Fall is Here

2007-09-16T15:47:00.001-04:00

We are a busy family this fall.

Shawn: Shawn has gotten a second job. He is the drum line instructor for Lexington Christian Academy. www.lcamarchingeagles.org. He is really enjoying sharing his experience with the drummers. The group has a lot of talent and potential. Shawn is very excited at this new opportunity. He is also taking 2 classes at the community college in town. We're that much closer to finishing his Bachelors. Yeah!

Tammy: Tammy continues to work at UK in Audiology. She has taken a new job, within this same group, that keeps her busy. www.ukhealthcare.uky.edu/services/audiology/index.htm. At church she is volunteering in the nursery and learning the sound board. Instead of taking a class at the community college she has joined the gym at work and hopes to spend some time there.

Evelyn: Evelyn is in pre-school at Trinity Christian Academy. www.tcalex.org. She loves going to school and being a helper. There are many kinds of helpers in her class and she can't wait to tell us which one she has been that day. Her first field trip was scheduled and rained out. They have rescheduled her trip to the apple orchard. She continues to take ballat/tap classes and is enjoying Ms. Mindy's class. www.jscd.net. We tried to sign her up for swim lessons, but they would not let her because of her age. Her previous swim teacher said she would be fine for the lowest level being offered at the time even though the age group was 6-12. We'll try again next swim session.

We are starting a new adventure as a family. We are participating in Financial Peace University. www.daveramsey.com. This class is being offered at a church near our house and will help us obtain and use the tools that we need to become debt free. Shawn and I are very excited to be working on this and perhaps helping teach the class to people at our own church.

Fall is Here

2007-09-16T15:47:00.000-04:00

The weather in Kentucky has been interesting. Just last week it was in the 90's and humid, now it is cool and sweatshirt weather.

This fall has found our family quite busy.

Shawn:

Shawn has taken a second job as a drum line instructor at Lexington Christian Academy. http://www.lcamarchingeagles.org He is having a great time and is having a lot of fun. He says the drummers he is in charge of have great talent and is excited to share his experiences with him. Competitions days are going to be long for Shawn. After going in and working at the bakery he heads off to the competition not to return home until after 10:00p.m.

Tammy:

Tammy continues to work at UK Audiology

She's a Monkey

2007-08-11T17:17:00.000-04:00

Evelyn tries her hands and feet at climbing the tree in our front yard. Videography work by Denise. She is here for a week after bringing Evelyn back to Kentucky from Minnesota.

I'm not as high tech as my friends in Australia (see Brooke, Ben and Zoe), but if you click on the box on top of this post you can see the video of Evie climbing.

She's A Fish

2007-07-08T19:19:00.001-04:00

Evelyn has been enjoying swimming lessons at the pool in Nicholasville. She started out in the "Pike" level and was moved up during her first lesson to an "Eel". She has recently graduated from the "Ray" class and just needs to take one more set to finish her Pre-school swim series.

Here are some pictures of her adventures in the pool.

Evelyn loves going off of the diving board. This is the first time she did it and there was a teacher behind her and one below. She now jumps off the board on a regular basis, by herself.

Here is our little graduate from the Eel class.

The YMCA teaches boat safety and what to do if you fall out. Miss Ashley is Evie's teacher. In her class are Nathaniel, Evelyn, Emma, and Tia.

This is the waterslide at the park. Evelyn likes to go down the open one.

Evelyn has now graduated from the Ray class.

We are so proud of our little "fish".

Red, White, and Blue Ribbon

2007-07-08T18:46:00.000-04:00

The 4th of July found us once again at the "Wilmore, Festival of the Fourth." This is the perfect way to celebrate our time in Kentucky. As well as the freedoms that we have. The ability to pray, worship and profess our love and belief of God openly without fear. We awoke at a leisurely time and walked around town, through the parade route, to find the perfect spot. It was certainly a change from last year. About every half a block or so we had someone that we recognized or knew who we were shout out a hello. This will come in handy when I run for Constable. ;-)

Our favorite part of the parade the "Lawn Mower Brigade."

You can't beat 15 cent hot dogs and cheap watermelon.

Shawn entered the town's Apple Pie baking contest, and Won! There were no rules and Shawn made a great pie. He upset a few of the ladies that also entered, when he told them it was a refrigerated pie crust from Pillsbury. They also had a few things to say about the carmel on top of the pie. They said "it is un-American and not traditional." Shawn received a blue ribbon, $15 and I think he gets his name in the paper.

Too Much Time at the Bakery?

2007-06-14T11:12:00.000-04:00

Evelyn says to me this morning on the way to the bakery.

"For my birthday, I'm going to mix my own colors for my frosting and Grampy is going to ice down my cake." In continuing her train of thought she got distracted and her next sentence came out like this. "I'm going to mix pink and yellow together and I'll get a - cat!"

It was also stated that she wanted a princess and Cars cake. If you ever want to know what Evie is thinking you just have to ask her. Sometimes you don't even have to ask.

Starry Nights

2007-06-13T14:14:00.000-04:00

Salutations to Everyone.

Shawn, Evelyn and I are nearing our 1 year anniversary of being here in Kentucky. It has been a great adventure so far and we know we are far from done.

The other night was a clear and beautiful evening. We (Evelyn, Shawn and Tammy) drove to a new development not far from town and parked the car and laid in the middle of the road looking at the stars. We were there for over an hour enjoying the quiet. Only one train passed through town during that time and it didn't even blow it's whistle. Usually it doesn't matter what time of day or night it is - they like to blow their whistle. We were watching the starts and thought we saw a shooting star. It turned out to be a lightening bug! It is really something to be laying on the ground and have lighted up bugs float above your face. What God was thinking when he made these creatures? Just little things to amuse those of us that can navigate away from the tv and look for other entertainment?

Ok... this has turned into deep thoughts by Tammy Mickschl.

I saw a sign on the side of a tow truck driving to work this morning. It said...We don't want an arm and a leg just your tows.

More to come later.

Tammy

Spring has Sprung

2007-05-03T20:51:00.000-04:00

Spring is well on it's way here in Kentucky. It is now May and Shawn, Evie and I are getting geared up to start a garden. We were blessed to find someone to borrow their rototiller to us to use. We have seeds to plant and lots of hope, prayers, and water. With any luck a garden of vegies may be in our destiny.

The picture below was actually taken at a St. Patrick's Day parade in Lexington. Nothing says Happy St. Patrick's Day like a cow on roller skates. Thank you Chic-fil-A!

This was the first flower that we found in our yard. This picture was also taken in March. This daffodil was promptly picked and moved to a container in the house by Evelyn. We currently are waiting for peonies to bloom in our yard. Evie and I look at them every day and see how they are on their way to opening. Their days are numbered until Evie gets to them and she says makes our house smell so nice.

Evie and I have tried our hand already at planting. These flower in the front yard are still alive!

Shawn and I have finished our classes for Spring of 2007. I got an A in my public speaking class. Yeah! We're taking the summer off. One class was just too much for me. ;-) Shawn is actively applying at Asbury Seminary and hopes to start this fall.

Evie is nearing her recital for dance class. This time around we get to see Evie tapping away with the rest of the kids. Evie is in the class with her friends Serena and Max. This summer we are going to be putting Evie in swimming class. Shawn has visions of swimming in Lake Superior with Evie sometime soon. He wants to make sure that Evie learns to swim like his Grandpa wanted him to learn how to swim.

His IS Risen

2007-04-09T11:38:00.000-04:00

HE IS RISEN....

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Happy Easter from the Mickschls

This picture is of Evelyn in her Easter dress. She is a prim and proper princess with her gloves and purse.

Since I managed to miss not only 1 but 2 Easter Egg hunts. We had our own. This picture is of Evelyn after she spied an egg.

Here is Evelyn with all of her eggs.

Visit to Minnesota

2007-03-01T23:07:00.000-05:00

We've been visiting Minnesota and have been enjoying our time with little Grace.

We have also been able to participate in the "storm of the century". Most of the Minnesota schools and roads have been closed, they have even closed the Mall of America. Hopefully they will be able to re-opened the roads before we have to head home. I'm afraid this storm would have shut down Kentucky until spring if it were there.

Evie and Aunt Kasey had time to make a "real" princess snow girl before the big storm hit.

A New Member of The Family

2007-02-22T11:43:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the World or new little niece!

Grace Elizabeth

Born on 02/21/07

5:15p.m.

7lb 10oz

20 3/4 inches long

Mother and baby are doing great.

Winter Wonderland

2007-02-09T13:40:00.000-05:00

Well, winter has finally hit here in Kentucky. They have called off school quite a few days because of it. One day it was because with the windchill it was -2. Another day was because there was an impending snow storm, which did not show up. Here are some pictures from our winter.

These pictures are from the rain that froze...making it ice! ;-)

This picture is from our first "BIG" snowstorm. Notice the extremly large snowman Evie and I made in our backyard.

In case you need some help. The snowman is located directly in front of Evie's right foot.

Kissing Frogs

2007-02-08T15:22:00.000-05:00

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Happy Birthday Mom

2007-01-23T10:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Mom!

You will all be happy to know that my mother is celebrating her "29th" birthday...again. In beautiful Hawaii. I can just imagine her laying on the beach soaking up the rays, slipping into the ocean and watching the beautiful underwater life. Aaahh, how I can imagine myself in that same spot. Ok, not the 29 part of course, I'm way past that.

I love you mom, and pray you are having a wonderful time. I can't wait to hear all about it.

Here are some pictures of my mom.

Mom and her Girls

Mom's birthday last year, notice Butchie sneaking in for a piece.

The end of this birthday Blog!

Busy...Busy...Busy

2007-01-13T21:40:00.000-05:00

Greetings to anyone still looking at our blog. It has been some time since I've been able to sit down and update this. I apologize to everyone.

Currently Shawn and I (Tammy) are both taking classes at night. Shawn is taking 2 classes and this should fill his requirement for the bachelors degree he is working on. He plans to start seminary this fall. I have the opportunity to take free classes through my employment and have decided to take my most dreaded class first.....Public Speaking. I know what most of you are thinking, but this is one of my "biggest" fears. Well, that and spiders. ;-)

Evelyn continues to amaze us with the intelligent and funny things she says. Right now she is stuck on going to Walt Disney World to see all of the characters. Each night when she prays she says...Thank you for Mommy, thank you for Daddy, thank you for Evelyn and thank you for all of the characters that I am going to meet when we go to Disney World. I unfortunately told her that we would go someday and she asks everyday if tomorrow is someday.

Shawn is also busy with and excited about a new bakery he is helping to open. Visit www.Caramandas.com for information on this new establishment. He is like a kid in a candy store. He is so excited about being able to make the things that he has been unable to make in larger corporate locations. He even gets to have his own "Baker's Whim" where he can choose what the special of the day is.

The following is a few pictures taken in the recent past.

I'll have to add pictures later. We are currently using dial up internet at home and uploading is not going well.

Winter Wonderland or Warm Tropical Vacation?

2006-11-30T10:02:00.000-05:00

Our first Christmas in Kentucky.

Although it is not officially December yet, Shawn, Evie and I are well on our way decorating for Christmas. Last night Evelyn wanted to hang the outside lights on our house. Shawn came home from class and saw what a wonderful job we did. After a little adjusting of the garland on the front porch we turned on the lights and headed around the neighborhood to look at all the other displays. Shawn, Evie and I have gone around to look at lights before, but never like this. We walked around our own neighborhood, I was barefoot and wearing my "thin" work scrubs. Shawn was wearing a shortsleeved shirt, shorts and sandles. It was a beautiful evening to spend together. Evelyn says we need one more thing outside. She wants a white cross with white lights. What an insightful little girl.

I'm sure this won't be the weather all the way to Christmas. We are expecting rain/snow and 30 degree weather for the end of this week and start of next week. We'll enjoy it while it lasts.

While Shawn was sleeping.

2006-09-26T22:25:00.000-04:00

This is another set of pictures taken through the eyes of Evie. One day while Shawn was "watching" Evie she found the digital camera and took a tour of the house.

Happy Birthday Shawn (September 3rd)

2006-09-18T22:35:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Daddy, Happy Birthday to you.

There was nothing sweeter than hearing our little 3-year-old sing so proudly to her Daddy on his Birthday.

Incidentally the melody of "Happy Birthday to You" was written by American sisters Patty and Mildred Hill in 1893 when they were school teachers in Louisville, Kentucky.

Evelyn helped me pick out the candles and carefully place them in the "Derby Pie" or as they are legally bound to call it a "Bluegrass Pie" because of a copy right. We spent most of Shawn's birthday hunting and calling around town for a pumpkin pie. This birthday tradition of Shawn's had met it's match here in Kentucky. We got most of the same responses as when we were asking around for a giant moose picture to place over our fireplace.

We finished the evening off with a trip to Corky's for what they claimed to be "The Best BBQ in the South". It wasn't. But, we had a great time anyway. Evie generated laughs from other customers. Each time we made a trip to the bathroom she would sing loudly with great enthusiasm "Naked, Naked, Naked!!!

Magee's Bakery

2006-09-12T19:24:00.000-04:00

I thought you might like to take a tour of the Bakery from Evelyn's point of view. The hand that you see making Danish is Shawn's. He loves this picture. You can also see the carrot cupcakes and the other picture of is rows of white cupcakes with Magee's awesome buttercream frosting on them. We are very blessed with Shawn's employment there and Shawn has some very positive experiences. He said that his favorite thing about working at this bakery is that he gets to see people in the store enjoying the product that he helps put out. This is something that he has not been able to experience at quite a scale at his previous bakery jobs. The people that purchase food at Magee's are able to sit down right at the bakery and enjoy.

Highbridge Homecoming Festival

2006-09-10T09:08:00.001-04:00

We were able to go to the 2nd annual Highbridge Homecoming Festival. This festival is found only a few minutes out of town in an even smaller town than ours. I think all it has is a church and a very picturesque view of the Highbridge railroad trussel and the Kentucky River below. It is very beautiful

We went to the festival two nights in a row. The first night they were having a dessert auction. It was pretty funny listening to this old man auction off the blackberry cobbler. He was talking it up pretty good. I'm sure whoever made it was very proud of her creation. It was all I could do to stop Shawn from trying to bid. You may know how much he loves to try new things.

The second day we were going to go earlier and see some of the lineup of acts they had instore. It was raining pretty well here and we didn't want to chance if there was a place out of the rain for us to go. So, we went up after the rain cleared and was able to see the Cloggers and a Bluegrass band. Both were very good. After awhile Evie couldn't stand it anymore and got up right in front of the cloggers and started imitating them. Being the proud mama I am, I was very impressed that she was imitating them so well. (we later signed her up for a ballet/tap class) I am contemplating taking clogging lessons. They are only $45 for 10 weeks. I don't think that is bad. How cool would it be if I came back to Minnesota with an accent and the ability to clog. I'm also interested in joining a gun club or shooting range while down here. Just to finish off my stereotyping. Although we don't own a gun or really don't have a desire to, but it would be fun to have that skill. I wonder if they borrow/rent guns?

Evie dancing with the cloggers.

The Bluegrass band Pickin' Time was a delight to watch. They sounded great! They are our 1st official Bluegrass band we watched here in Kentucky.

The night finished off with a dance. Evie was big into finding dance partners. Anyone but Mom and Dad that is. She found this boy to dance with. Oh, dear we're in trouble. We ended the night when this dance was done. We didn't want it to get too serious.

The Circus

2006-09-06T23:15:00.000-04:00

Shawn, Evie, and I went to the Barnum and Bailey Circus when it came to Lexington this past August. We arrived early and were able to go down to the main floor and be up close and personal with the performers.

Here is Evelyn with a clown friend she had made.

Evie tried on a Ring Master's jacket.

Our cheap seats put us at the "end" of the arena. We did get to see the front of the Animals from time to time.

Mom and Evie pose with the Elephants.

Daddy and Evie pose with the Tigers.

We had a great time. Shawn and Evelyn even got to see a Cebu.

In the September issue of Parenting Magazine is an article that beautifully describes the circus trip (it could almost be our circus trip). It is on page 197 and is entitled A Trip to the circus by Pete Nelson. I tried to link it, but the article is not online at this time.

Fun with Evie...need I say more?

2006-08-29T22:02:00.000-04:00

Who is it going to be next?

2006-08-16T23:08:00.000-04:00

We have been so blessed with the amount of visitors in such a small time.

It started with Norma and Darrell. They were able to come down for Evie's Birthday in July.

and then Phyllis came toward the end of July. We visited High Bridge and went to Pleasant Hill in Shaker Town.

and most recently Mom and Denise in August. We also went to High Bridge and then Mom, Denise, and I went horseback riding at Whispering Woods Riding Stable.

Make your reservations soon for the Mickschl Inn. We'll be glad to have you.

You're doing what?

2006-07-31T19:05:00.000-04:00

This is what Shawn said to me as he was drilling a hole through the wall. So what if I was ripping up the carpet from the floor. Not that big a deal...right. Right. The hardwood floors are beautiful. For some reason the previous owners finished the floor around the parameter of the room and left the middle as original. They must have had one big rug.

After a call to my mother Shawn determined that I have inherited her destruction gene. Now that I have my own house I'm not as afraid to lets say..rip things apart. I also hold blame to Rebekah. :-) She's my do it yourselfer partner in crime.

The floor with carpet

Here is Evie helping pull staples out of the floor.

Here is the floor that needs to be refinished

First Day on the Job

2006-07-31T18:57:00.000-04:00

Today, Monday, July 31st was my first day of work at UK. It went really well. They showed me my new office. I have 4 walls and a door! I'm so excited. Dr. Shinn said I could start bringing in pictures and personal stuff tomorrow. Everyone at my new job is very nice and I learned a lot about the ear today and the tests that they run. I asked to have some performed on me. You know, to see what its like.

One great thing about starting today is that Shawn, Evie and myself get covered by insurance tomorrow, Tuesday, August 1st. If I had started August 1st we wouldn't be covered until September 1st.

I started looking into taking my 18 free credits of classes at UK last night about 12am. Shawn said that I should talk to a counselor to see how to do it before I go and start applying. What does he know? ;-) I think perhaps I'll start working on my undergraduate degree. In what I haven't figured out yet.

Anybody want an Employee?

2006-07-23T23:52:00.000-04:00

Not everyone can come to Kentucky with a job waiting for them. I've had to wait patiently and go on a few interviews. Shawn says that I am having a really hard time with being "unemployed". He doesn't really count me as being unemployed since I do get to stay home and play all day. Like he used to do. HaHaHa. Anyone that knows Evelyn knows that she is a full-time job and then some.

I applied everywhere. Well almost everywhere, except Best Buy and the movie theater. Lowes has not called me back yet and neither has the chiropractor. I even applied at the Central Kentucky Blood Center after I finished my blood donation and Shawn was giving platelets.

I have been offered a job with the University of Kentucky in the Communicative Disorders Department. This job will be Monday through Friday 8am-4pm. I am told no weekends, evenings, and I'm pretty sure holidays. I was offered $1.50 more an hour than we needed to make to live here in Kentucky. God is faithful! I was interviewed on Wednesday, July 19th and was told they would call me Friday either way. They called me back on Thursday and offered me the job. Now all I have to do is pass the drug test and background check...I'm on pins and needles about both of those. My expected start date is August 7th. This gives me lots of time to spend with Evie and Shawn. We are really enjoying our naps that we take in the afternoons.

Baker Stud returns again

2006-07-23T23:27:00.000-04:00

Shawn is currently working at Magee's Bakery in the Antique District of Lexington. Just blocks away from the Henry Clay Estate who was a cousin of Cassious Clay (not the boxer). I was right when I originally guessed that Henry Clay was related...kinda.

Shawn is enjoying working in a scratch bakery with the finest bakery ingredients. They are enjoying Shawn's ability as a baker.

Every day Shawn comes home and Evie runs out of the house screaming....Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! She then gives him a great big hug and inhales deeply and states what he smells like for the day. "You smell like donuts!" she often states.

I do believe that Shawn is enjoying being the bread winner and maker once again.

July 6, 2006

2006-07-23T23:08:00.000-04:00

Central air is installed....enough said

$2.95!?!

2006-07-13T01:02:00.000-04:00

At the Celebration of the Fourth they sold hot dogs for $0.15 cents. Shawn went to get us some lunch and returned about a half an hour later with his wares. 3 hot dogs, 2 giant pieces of watermelon and 3 bottled waters for $2.95. We watched the home town crowd present the local fire department with the trophy for winning the 4th of July softball tournament and one of the local pastors present books to all of the police officers.

The Jessamine County band played many tunes and finished the day with a patriotic ensemble.

Shawn met the mayor - Harold Rainwater. Shawn told him that we just moved here from Minnesota and the mayor replied that this celebration was just for us. ;-) Shawn says...typical politician.

The following pictures are of the snow cones that we enjoyed. They were made by the local Lions Club and only cost 50 cents.

This is my kind of celebration.

We ended the day with a private fireworks display that some random guy on the end of our block was shooting off. He happened to be someone that did this for a job. So they were real fireworks. Evelyn did not see any of the fireworks that night. She was way too tired from the days events.

I would have to say that our first day in Kentucky was filled with many things that will last in our memory. A great celebration to kick off our new adventure here in Kentucky. Maybe the celebration was.... just for us.

First Day In Kentucky

2006-07-13T00:42:00.000-04:00

Our first full day in Kentucky was the 4th of July. What a beautiful day it was. A bit toasty since we didn't have air conditioning, but fun none-the-less. We started the day by trying to empty the van. Then off to the parade. They call it the Celebration of the 4th.

The Sheriff started off the parade.

Lawn mower Brigade was a hoot.

Tractors on Parade

Can't forget man's best friend.

It was a great home town parade with a lot of home town pride. I was happy to count myself among them. Evie showed her great ability to collect ALL of the candy that was thrown at us. No one was being stingy at this parade. We just so happened to meet some of our next door neighbors that day when Shawn offered them some of Evie's loot. After the parade we walked the mile to the campground to continue the Celebration of the 4th.

The Trip to Kentucky

2006-07-11T11:13:00.000-04:00

We started our journey at the place we should have. River Hills United Methodist Church (http://www.riverhillsumc.org/) 9am service followed by a reception and an 11am service. We were able to thank the congregation for their support and were prayed for. What an awesome thing to know that there are people praying for us and support what God has in-store for our family.

After a tearful good-bye to our family and friends at church. Shawn, Evie and I left to pick up Jazzy and Butch from Aunt Sheryl. Although the dogs were excited to go for a car ride (what dog isn't) they will certainly miss one of the most important humans in their life.

Here are a few pictures from our journey to Kentucky.

Here is the van loaded. To think we already brought a 26 foot truck to Kentucky. Luckily Shawn's parents and Aunt Phyllis will be coming in the next few weeks to bring what didn't fit. My bowling ball didn't make it in the first load. ;-(

We stayed overnight with Rebekah and Graig in Wisconsin. As you can tell from the photo, Rebekah was very welcoming. It was such a blessing to spend some time with them.

Here is Evie and Butch at one of our gas stops

Evelyn took this picture of us at a rest stop in Kentucky. I'd say she has some talent from her mother. Maybe a little more since she isn't even 3 yet!

Moving Day

2006-07-02T07:31:00.000-04:00

It was 5:50am and I was up before the alarm. Evie was up shortly after and Shawn continued to sleep soundly on our air mattress. The light was peaking in through the blinds and the world was telling us it was a new day. A new day for our new adventure.

Today is the day we MOVE to Kentucky.

We have been staying with Shawn't parents for 4 years to the day and am thankful for their support and encouragement. God does so many things for us and we don't even realize it.

Thank you to all of our friends and family that have helped nurture, prepare and support us for this day. It is so hard to say good-bye so see-you-later is my adopted terminology. God bless you all!

Our journey today will take us to Oostburg Wisconsin and then early Monday we continue on to our new home and life in Wilmore, Kentucky. We look forward to the 4th of July celebration that is waiting for us - $0.15 hot dogs and ice cream. How is that for a welcome home party!

We won't have internet access at home, but we will try to update as soon as we can.

Here is the reading from a daily bible study The Upper Room. It is from Saturday, July 1st. For some reason the e-mail for the 2nd has not posted to our account. Strange? or not.

Matthew 6:25-34 (NRSV)
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these

The Beginning

2006-05-30T02:31:00.000-04:00

Welcome to our house!

Evelyn, Tammy, and Shawn on the front porch

Terry on the front steps