>$$$TAXES$$$

Posted on January 31, 2006 by Katie

HOORAY! We just finished our taxes…I’m so glad to have that done. I am frustrated though. The stupid government is still making changes to form 8893 (for education credits), and it could take until March to finish it! That means we can’t e-file this year. I’m so bummed…I want my money! Oh well. We’re hoping that since we got them done so early they’ll do us the same favor and give us our refund quicker.

Taxes suck. Don’t get me wrong – I love getting all this money back, but why do they even take it in the first place? The refund forms are so simple, yet so complicated. It’s just crazy. Next year will be our last simple tax return too, since Matt is going to be a pastor in 2007. Clergy taxes are a beast that I don’t even want to think about. Our friends who are pastors now don’t even try to do their own taxes. “Hire an accountant!” is the advice they all give us. Duely noted…

This week has been fun. It’s a little crazy at work with Ministry Conference on campus and spring semester starting on Monday. You wouldn’t believe how many people wait until this week to apply for classes that start on Monday. Then they’re just appalled that they can’t be admitted in one day. Come on! The background check takes a week – sometimes more! And no, we cannot hold a spot in the class for you. I don’t care who your pastor is. Ridiculous…..My Orlando MySpace friends know what I’m talking about. They’re feeling the pain with me.
We were in Indianapolis this weekend for the Pacer game. My grandma bought my entire family tickets for Christmas, so we all went and took up like half of a section. I hear it was a good game. I didn’t really pay much attention. I spent most of the game watching this crazy girl with some wicked huge pom-poms cheer all night. She was nuts! She didn’t stop moving once. My cousins and I just laughed and made up stories about what she could possibly be doing. We are sure she was getting paid. The Pacers lost (not by much) and we ended up having dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory afterwards. I love that place! It was nice to be in familiar surroundings again.

We were waiting for our table at the OSF when my aunt Becky called. Becky is my dad’s younger sister, and is the caretaker of my great-grandma Jordan (who is 96 years old). Grandma fell and broke her hip Friday, and when they took her to the hospital the doctors found that she had a urinary tract infection as well. Top that off with the fact that they couldn’t operate because her blood was too thin, and well, it was a crappy day for grandma. God love her – she’s amazing. They were finally able to operate on Sunday morning, and we went to see her at the hospital. She was just laying there sleeping, and it hit me how old she was. It didn’t even look like her! The biggest difference is that she didn’t have her teeth in. I almost laughed to see her that way! She woke up a little and mumbled some nonsense about going home later that day, and then went back to sleep. She’s so sweet and so funny. My dad was really torn up though. His parents and grandparents are all gone except for Grandma Jordan, so he’s not exactly ready to let her go. (Not that any of us are.) My dad is unstable enough the way it is. I don’t want to know what will happen when she goes Home. Just a few things for you guys to pray about…

Well – I’m going to go cuddle with the hubby. We’ve had a rough night doing math and wearing out our No. 2 pencils, so we’re just going to relax together. It’s my favorite part of the day. 🙂 You know what I love? I love snuggling up to his chest as we’re laying down to sleep. His cologne is still faintly present and I love to fall asleep just breathing in his smell. Maybe that’s weird – who cares! I love it anyway. He’s the best…

Set it and forget it,
~Katie~

P.S. Thanks to all of you who sent me little notes of encouragement as I recovered from my oral surgery. After talking with my cousin’s wife, I realize I had a pretty smooth go of it. She had dry socket and was in misery for a week! All I have to bitch about is not being able to eat pizza (which I shouldn’t really eat anyway). Thanks anyway – I’m all better now! 🙂

>I just want some pizza…

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Katie

>I’m so hungry!

I got my wisdom teeth cut out Friday. It sucks. It sucks so bad! I’ve had that blood/saliva taste in my mouth for almost a week now, and all I really want to do is eat a slice of Brooklyn Pizza! I’m actually healing fairly well. No dry sockets or anything. I do have a spot on my chin that is still numb (probably nerve damage), so that’s kinda weird. It’s funny to kiss Matt and only feel it on 3/4 of my lips!

Mom and Dad came down Thursday night and stayed until Sunday to help my sorry butt out. Actually, it turns out I didn’t need much help. I just wanted someone to whine to! Mom is so efficient though. She did all of our laundry, all of our dishes, cleaned (she even dusted the bathroom scale…who does that?), and cooked. It was so nice having them around. I actually felt great Saturday, so Mom, Dad and I went out shopping and stuff while Matt worked. I went to bed sure that I had kicked this oral surgery crap right in the butt. I woke up Sunday with my face swollen to twice its normal size. Mom and Dad took that as their cue to get the heck out of dodge, and they left Matt all alone to deal with one grouchy patient. I went back to work yesterday with only a fair amount of pain and not really any swelling left. I actually ate some semi-solid foods last night, and I’m thinking by Saturday I’ll be ready for real food. I’m so sick of soup, I could puke.

>Thanksgiving

Posted on November 19, 2005 by Katie

>Yikes – I just realized that I have so much to do around the house before we leave for Indy on Monday. I’m hoping to get our Christmas tree up before we leave, but in order to do that, we have to clean this house first. (Geez – I’m turning into my mother. I always hated that we had to clean before we put up the tree, and look at me now…) We need to pack for our holiday week in Indy, but before we can do that, I have to get the laundry done. Does it ever end? I wish I could just hire a maid to do my laundry and dishes for me. That’s it – I can handle the rest. It just seems like those are the two jobs that I do all the time and yet they still need doing!!! Drives me crazy…can you imagine how nuts I will be when we have kids? All those little clothes to wash and sippy cups to clean? Ugh…

So – we’re going home in a few days. I’m pretty excited. It’s been a busy fall at the office, so I’m glad to get some time off. We’re leaving Monday after work and heading for Noblesville, IN to spend a few days with our friends Jeff and Julie and their kids Sarah, Anna, Elizabeth and Daniel. This is the rockinest family you’ll ever know, and we’re completely excited to get to spend some time with them. We’ve known them for years – Jeff was the pastor at Center (our home church), and then a few months before we got married, he took a church in Evansville where we lived. It was great. It was like having family there in Evansville to help with our transition. God really knows what he’s doing, doesn’t he? Now Jeff is at a church in Noblesville (north of Indy). Anyway – ever since we lived in Evansville together we have had Thanksgiving together every year. They really are like family to us. I think that’s what I’m looking forward to most about this week. We always get to see our families when we come home, but we don’t get up to Noblesville very often. It’s going to be so good…

Wednesday is Noodle and Pie night at Mom’s. For those of you who don’t know about my family’s crazy tradition, well…I’ll just have to tell you about it another time. I’ll try to post some pictures from it when we get back. Suffice it to say that it’s a very messy, very loud, very special time and there has not been a Thanksgiving in my life without it. It’s fabulous and I love it…even though I always make myself sick at my stomach by eating raw noodles…oh well – it’s worth it!

Thursday morning we’re having a Thanksgiving breakfast with Matt’s family, then we’re heading up to my cousin Lisa’s for dinner with my mom’s family. Matt is actually coming back to Wilmore Thursday night since he has to work Friday morning. I’m going to stay though, so I can go shopping with his mom and his sister. They’re those crazy people out at 5:00 am the day after Thanksgiving fighting for Tickle-me-Satans…er…uh…I mean Tickle-me-Elmos. It should be fun…

All of that to say that we’re going to have a crazy busy week! But it will be great to be home visiting friends and family, making ourselves sick by eating too much. Isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about??? I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and that you get to spend it with many loved ones. May we all remember those who are less fortunate than ourselves and be thankful to God, who blesses us richly.

Be His,
Katie

P.S. Praise God for the birth of little Hannah Barnett. She was born this morning around 3:45 and Mommy, Daddy and Hannah are doing well. Thank you Lord for a perfect delivery!!!