Guard cat

Macy watched over me as I took a nap.

Nose to nose

Here's a sweet Daddy holding his son.

Before & after

Here's the last picture before going to the hospital.

And here's the product!

Overwhelming support

Thank you so much to everyone who has sent their congratulations. It's such a blessing to have so many people respond. It has been a wonderful few days and I am looking forward to sharing Sam with everyone as time allows and holidays come near. We look forward to all of you meeting him and getting to know his gentle spirit.

The Longest Day

Samuel Robert

born @ 7:41 pm Dec 1, 2008

10 lbs 4 oz
22 inches long

John and me at the hospital: 7 am. Labor started around 5:30 am. Labor had stalled out by 6pm and we decided that it was time to intervene. So the ceserian was advised and approved.

John, me and Sam right after the c-section. They are still working on me, but Sam is mostly cleaned up and John and I are very proud.

Sam, already showing his star quality and super personality.

My first real look at Sam, who when I saw him, knew he would be Samuel. I had liked the name from when John and I had talked about names and John agreed without hesitation. His middle name is in honor of my dad, Robert.

We still haven't really ended that day since feedings, vital signs, visiting with parents, etc has made for little time to rest and recoup, but as we figure this new adventure out and learn to read Sam's cues, we are finding plenty of support and a comfortable place in which to begin our family.

unexpected process, but happy results

This is John, posting an advance that we will have the baby here shortly, via unexpected c-section. We will try to send out pics and update with full story as soon as possible. Please continue to pray for Aimee and the baby's health and well-being, and for my sanity. Thanks for all your support up to this point. It is great to have family and friends who support us.

At the hospital

After getting to the hospital, we got admitted and the nurse got me on monitoring and changed into the little robe. The Dr came by afer that and found that I was 2cm dialated and 90% effaced; major improvement from Friday's apointment where there was no change.

They checked again a little bit ago and found that I was 3cm now and decided to break my water. That should help progress labor now that the baby's head is free to move down.

We are just waiting for more to happen and walking the halls as I am able. The contractions are getting kinda hard now.

On our way to the hospital

The last hour, I've had contractions about 4-5 minutes apart lasting about a minute. Now we're on our way to the hospital. Yeah!

Good news

I'm having light, short, consistent contractions. We're hanging out at home for the time being.

Curtains

I started these curtains with my Mom probably about a year-and-a-half ago. I kept putting off hemming them. Now they're finally done.

It helped to move the sewing machine out into the living area. It's funny how connected I am with John. I basically follow him around like a little puppy, or like Macy does to us.

Long walk

We took a nice long walk this afternoon. We walked to Starbucks and tried some new drinks. The one way walk is about 25 minutes. It feels good to be home and sit.

A little progress

I had a few Braxton-Hicks last evening. The closest together were 3 in 45 minutes, but the others were more along the lines of 30 minutes apart. We were hoping for more action overnight, but no such luck.

I guess I'm going to have to do my homework for this week. I thought I might be able to get out of it. Oh well. The quarter is almost over. Only seven days away from finals.

Latest picture

Here's the latest picture.

Game time

We had leftover pasta from Pizza Hut and brocolli. Now we're going to play our favorite computer game, Diablo II.

Next, dinner

So the movie was creepy and cruel. Kinda hard to watch. But the end was satisfying. Now, I think we'll have dinner.

Movie update

Okay, now we're watching Untraceable with Diane Lane.

Casino Royale was good. I like the new style. Watching the Brosnan Bond movies lately I've realized I'm bored with them. They're very cookie cutter and predictable. I'm looking forward to seeing the new Bond movie. We might go see it in the next few days.

Watching Casino Royale

We are watching Casino Royale on demand. I wanted to see it again before we see the next one.

Lots of sleep

I got up just before 11:00 today. It's nice to be able to sleep through the night. I'm taking advantage of it before the baby comes, and I only get 2-3 hours at a time.

41 weeks

We had another nonstress test today and everything looks fine. We scheduled another one for early next week.

It was very nice here today, so we worked out in the yard doing some fall clean-up. I was hoping the manual labor would help get things started. But not yet.

We're patiently waiting. I think it's harder on everyone else to wait. :)

Turkey Day

No change yet. We had a nice relaxing day playing video games and watching TV. For dinner, we had a special treat of asparagus.

Wow, people actually read this (besides my Mom)

I was told today that someone reads this besides my mother. Amazing! I usually just see comments from Mom so I figured she was the only one that visited. It encourages me to stay up to date.

I created an online baby pool a little over a week ago. (If you want to participate, send me an email or comment, and I'll send you an invitation. I don't want to post the link here.) My Dad made a guess and I enjoyed his comment. He said:

"I keep saying I'm not old enough to be grandpa. (Maybe I should stop saying it so she can be born.)"

Very cute! By the way, his guess was a girl. We still don't know the gender.

Also, the update is: no change. We didn't make any plans for Thanksgiving, and I have a feeling we're going to both feel a little homesick tomorrow. We don't even have a turkey, although I suggested to John we get a deli cooked roast chicken from Fred Meyer. Yum!

Nothing yet

My Mom called me this morning saying she had a gut feeling that I was in labor. But I wasn't. Sorry, Mom.

I've been busy working on homework and continuing the get the house ready. I think it's harder for family to wait than it is for me because I'm still trying to get stuff done.

It was suggested we start a project that can't be interrupted, then the baby will come. The project suggested was decorating a Christmas tree. I like the idea, but I need to clean up the living room first so there's room for the tree. It would be fun to have the tree up and all pretty when we came home from the hospital.

Nonstress test

We had an ultrasound and a nonstress test (NST) done today. Everything looks good, except the baby is a bit on the big side according to the doctor. She thinks it's between 9 and 9 1/2 pounds. She wants us to induce, but we've decided to hold off for now. We have another NST scheduled for Friday.

I feel good. When I stand up the baby feels so heavy in front. It must be getting close to time.

Baby's procrastinating

Like mother and father, our baby is procrastinating his/her arrival. Today is 40 weeks and 2 days. We're just waiting and waiting.

I'm going to post every day until the baby comes to help ease the anxiety of everyone who is waiting.

38 Weeks

We're almost there! I can hardly believe that by Thanksgiving we're going to have a little baby to take care of.

Less than 3 weeks

We're in countdown mode. We refinished the dresser this weekend, so I'll get to pack it with baby clothes this week. How exciting!

Happy Harvest Day

I wish everyone a Happy Harvest Day. Bah humbug on Halloween. I believe costumes and parties should be in the spirit of fun and laughter, not spooky and evil.

Have fun and be safe!

Last warm days

I believe we're having the last warm days before winter. Yesterday we took advantage of the almost 70 degree weather and went for a nice walk. Today is nice and sunny as well.

Class

We went to our first of five birthing naturally classes. It's at the hospital where we will be delivering. The instructor was very nice and good at explaining things, so I think this will be a very worthwhile class. It runs through the 39th week, so we'll see how many we get to attend if the baby comes early. There were nine couples, and I was the first one due, which I kinda liked. We're special! :)

Funny song coincidence

John and I were coming back from some baby shopping last week as the sun was setting. As we turned west onto the highway, the song on the radio was singing "blinded by the light" which was exactly what was happening. It was quite funny.

Now, for some reason, telling the story doesn't sound so funny. I guess you had to be there. I'm hoping John will see this and write his own version on his blog which will hopefully be funnier.

Football

We went to our first school game on Saturday. I told John we had to go to at least one game before I graduated. And it was great that we won!

It was an interesting experience. We found a close parking spot, so we only had to walk across the river which took only about 10 minutes. The other options were riding the shuttle that had limited departure times or a regular bus that was infrequent. This worked out great.

We walked along the path to the stadium and passed lots of interesting people doing interesting things. This is college, remember? The coolest thing was a bike cab that I think was called a pedicab. There were several of them taking couples along the path, but one in particular had strings of lights and was playing music - The Beach Boys, I think.

We planned for it to be cold so we wore hooded sweatshirts and coats and gloves and took a blanket. But the section where we were standing (we stood the whole time because everyone else was standing the whole time) was actually quite warm with all the bodies around and ended up not using the blanket. We didn't get cold until we left during the third quarter and were walking back to the car.

It was very loud in the student section. But of course, right? We were wishing we had earplugs. When we left we bought some really good curly fries and a bottle of water which together cost almost $10. Sticker shock!

Overall we had a good time, but we probably won't go again to the student section. We decided we'd much prefer buying tickets (our student tickets were free) where you can sit down and hold a conversation. The loud and rowdy festivities might be fun for some people, but once is enough for us. We're not 19 anymore!

Oh, by the way, baby had a good time too. (I'm going to refer to her because it was a "she" day. We switch days calling the baby him or her. Don't go getting any big ideas. We still don't know!) She was moving around quite a bit. It was probably the loudest experience she's had so far. I liked the band music, but I wish we were closer to it.

Friday's picture

We've been taking belly progress pictures every Friday. Here's me and baby at 34 weeks and counting.

Career fair

There was an accounting career fair last week. It turned out to be another good experience. I went to a similar one last winter for which I felt so nervous and unprepared. This one I knew I wanted to talk to the three firms I'm applying for.

When I arrived, I wasn't sure how to start. But I figured I would start talking to some other companies to get warmed up. That was great. By the time I got to the three firms on my list, I was comfortable and at ease.

I bought a grey suit a couple weeks ago, and I was so glad it was grey! Almost everyone was wearing black suits. I don't think anyone was wearing navy blue. I'd say about 10% of us were wearing grey.

Good Open House

I went to an Open House last night for a company that I'm applying to for a full time job next fall. It was a really good experience. I talked with quite a few people and felt I had a good connection with them.

The only thing is that I remembered today that I forgot to grab a gift bag on the way out last night. Doh! I hope I didn't miss anything important.

First week back to school

School started up again last week. I'm taking just two classes, so I go to school four days out of the week. John was very supportive and took me or picked me up three times (I believe). One of the times was because I was longing for a nap before an afternoon class but would have had to leave right away to catch the bus. He let me get a nap, then drove me. What a wonderful husband! I really feel blessed to have him as my support person and my best friend!

Classes are fine. I really like the business information systems class. We've learned basic stuff about hardware and software which are things I've been curious about but always thought they were too far over my head to understand anything about them. The textbook takes a simplified look at all that and explains it so it makes sense. The audit class is really slow so far. Hopefully it will get more interesting as the weeks go on.

At BAP, we had a panel of recruiters talk about the recruiting process and accounting jobs in general. It was mostly stuff I'd heard before. But I did find out that I'm not eligible for a summer internship next year because they like interns to have at least one more term to take after the internship. So that means I'll be applying this week to full time jobs for my first year out of college! Ack! This week is also Meet the Firms so that will put me in front of the right people. It's kinda nerve-wracking, especially with not knowing how things will change after the baby is born and if/when we move closer to our families next year. Everything is up in the air. I'm just trying to take it a day at a time. Also, I'm trying to stay organized so my head can stay clear.

Finally, it's raining!

Yeah for the rain! I've missed it this summer. Although, I have to admit it caught me a little off guard. I was enjoying not having to wear jackets and hats and all that.

I couldn't resist

We spent a lovely day at my aunt & uncle's place for their annual Blackberry Pig. This was one of my relative's dog. The picture turned out so cute, although I realize it is a little fuzzy.

Yum

I love onion rings! We cooked some while Scott was here helping us work on the hot tub.

Lazing around

Macy's taking a cozy nap on the couch. So cute!

My cousin's wedding

My cousin Jenn got married last month. It was such a beautiful wedding! Here's a picture of us three cousins. On my Dad's side it's just the three of us.

Garden update

Our garden: the beans are taking off! I go out to pick beans every other day, and the amount lasts us both days. It seems like they're ramping up to produce even more, so I don't know what we'll do then.

The zucchini are still struggling. They keep putting on flowers, but the zucchini starts don't make it. I think some kind of animal is getting to them, or I'm not watering enough.

The tomatoes are starting to turn. I think we'll have cherry tomatoes first which are all from volunteers from last year. We just let them grow. They're even doing fine without cage support.

The corn is on its way too. I need to get out there and spray it for bugs. I noticed some little yellow beetle things on it the other day. We had a problem with grubby worms in the corn last year.

Craigslist

Some recent Craigslist finds. This mirror was from an estate sale, very reasonably priced.



Very cheap lot of blankets, hoodie towels, and washcloths.



The baby item lot also included these things, which I need help identifying. They are about 17" long and 8" wide and made of washcloth fabric as far as I can tell. Are they just big washcloths? Why are they shaped so long?



Found this stroller/carseat awhile ago. I'm getting used to how big it is. But I like its features, like how easy it is to fold down.

Painting

We did some painting in our bedroom and in the hallway. I was wearing a respirator, but for some reason I don't remember I wasn't wearing one in the top picture. The second picture was posed after we finished painting and realized we hadn't taken a picture yet.

New bathroom linoleum

John did a wonderful job putting in this linoleum!

New tile in entry way

We decided to redo the tile in the entry way before we had carpet installed. John's first tile project, and it looks gorgeous!

New addition to our living room

My parents' piano on loan to us. Fun!

Garden progress

We've eaten green beans and broccoli. The tomatoes are plenty but still green. The peas didn't make it, and the zucchini are struggling.

Macy in the middle

John and I (mostly John) have been doing a lot of work around the house. One project included painting the master closet, so we moved all the clothes into the studio. Macy took advantage of the squishy pile of soft clothes. This is a "Where's Macy" picture.

Pretty tulip

John took this nice picture. I really enjoy the colors in this tulip!

Wind!

Ack! I was studying in the office, home alone, when I hear a big noise from the backyard. It sounded like someone was back there. I go look, and the hot tub cover is flipped back. What the heck! I look around for someone trespassing. No signs. I figure it was the wind. It's kind-of stormy today. My heart sure was thumping hard.

Roses

Here are pictures of my roses I clipped last week. I still need to clip the bush in the front yard.

Clipped roses

I finally was able to get outside and ckip my roses back.

So sunny!

It was so nice yesterday! Unfortunately, I spent the whole day inside working on homework, but we had the windows open. The fresh air was great.

Yes!

I did really well on one of my midterms! Yeah! I'm so excited!

Don't get me sick!

Ack! Basically everyone I know is sick or getting sick! I really can't get sick right now. There's too much going on.

Lots of studying this week.

It seems like every day this week I've studied alone for big blocks of time or with a group. The next two weeks are going to be the busiest of the term.

Accepted

Oh, by the way, I got accepted into the school of business. And, I get to register as a senior at my regular time this term. I don't have to wait for them to authorize it like I did last term. Yeah!

Pictures of snow

Here are some pictures from the week of clear cold, and the week of snow.

Shoes

I've been shopping for comfortable business shoes to wear to school and interviews. I finally found some at Macy's. They're great!

Hot water tap!

John's so great! He added a hot water tap to our sink, so we got to retire our tea kettle.

Cold week

It has been very cold this week. Two days I wore long johns to stay warm while walking to/from the bus. Since the start of the term, only two days have had slippery roads. This week had all dry roads, so walking wasn't a problem.

We've had some nice ice formations on the edges of our pond this week. The pond doesn't get any sun, and it hasn't been warm enough to thaw in the shade, so the splashed water from the fountain just keeps building up on the ice and freezing. I'll post some pictures soon.

We almost had frozen pipes the first morning it was below freezing. I turned on the faucet in the bathroom, and it stopped running after a few seconds. I thought, uh-oh. John woke up right away and came to see what was going on. (That's the best way to get up him up in the morning - some kind of crisis. Works great.) He decided to just keep the water running. There was enough running water to break up the ice in the pipes, and we didn't have a problem. Since then, we've kept the faucets dripping at night. The reason we have such a problem in our bathroom is that while adding the addition and the master bathroom, the previous owners put the pipes in the attic and ran them right along the roof. The pipes are very sensitive to changes in temperature. We should add some insulation or find out something else we can do for them to lessen the effect of the weather.

The first day we moved into the house, the pipes tried to trick me. It was a hot summer day. I thought I was running cold water, but the water was hot, and it kept getting hotter. So I moved the handle over to the left. It stayed hot. I moved it back to the right, and it finally got cooler. Now, if I know it's hot outside and want cold water, I have to wait longer. The insulation or whatever fix we figure out to do, would help with that too.

Interview

Yeah! I got an interview with the accounting firm I applied to. The position is an internship with them this summer. They were the only ones left in the area still taking applications for the summer internship. So to get into the biggest firm in the area, I have to get in with them.

Sorry, I'm not going to drop names to protect my privacy.

I'm very excited to get the interview because of what I overheard some people saying about internships and this company in particular. One person applied, but didn't get invited to interview. I had first assumed that everyone would probably interview if they applied, but I guess that's not the case. Maybe some day, if I get the position, I will be able to find out what percentage of people get interviewed.

Dog boots

Hey, Mom, you should check out these boots for dogs. From the story that Nate and Andrea told, it sounds like they work great. I'm not sure where they got them, though.

Busy, busy, busy

I'm done with my first week of classes this term. I like all my professors and the classes, too. I'm most excited about the intermediate accounting class. It's the real meat. Oh, there's accounting information systems that will be cool too. I get to design an information system in Excel that includes ledger accounts and journal entries, and financial statements.

I have a three-hour break on Mondays and Wednesdays so I brought enough to study during those times and took advantage of it. I also went to the gym yesterday and walked around the inside track. In total, I exercised three times in the last five days. Plus I walk to the bus and walk home.

This term looks to be very busy. There's a meet-and-greet next week that will get my foot in the door for the internship interview process starting late January. Also, I'm going to get certified to be able to participate in VITA, which does free income tax preparation for low-income people in the area (including students). That will be good for the resume and put me in a good position to run for an officer position in the accounting club, which I'm a pledge for this term. There's also a thing that's organized for early February that pairs people with CPAs in the area and we get to have dinner and find out more about their careers. Very exciting, and it's free!

Three classes online

Now there are three classes on the online school system. I can see the last class, math, in the list, but all the folders are empty. I'm not sure if the prof. hasn't allowed access to the website yet, of if there is a glitch in my access to the class. I'll find out tomorrow at class I guess.

Christmas gift card projects

For Christmas I received a generous gift card to a craft store. This week I used the card to buy stuff for some projects I've been wanting to do.

First, I got really soft brown yarn for a scarf. I'm planning on finding a unique, challenging pattern in my Encyclopedia of Knitting book that will look nice in the uniform color yarn.



Macy is always around for a pose!



I also got beads for a brown necklace. I have lots of brown shirts and sweaters, and I made a brown bracelet last fall. I'm still working on some brown earrings, then the necklace will complete the set. I'm excited to start the necklace. Since I'm busy reading for school already, and I go back tomorrow, the necklace will probably have to wait until next weekend.

Started reading

I started reading for school today. This term is going to be very heavy in textbook reading. Also, the textbooks are very heavy themselves. The four books for my four classes together weigh twenty pounds. I don't think I'll be taking all three books to class on the days I have three classes. Two will have to do.

The class I needed

Yeah! I'm so excited! I finally was able to register for the class I need to go through the accounting program in a reasonable amount of time.

They made me take Math 242 again, so I couldn't apply to the school of business until this coming term, and I couldn't register with everyone else for the classes I needed. I needed to get into Accounting 320 because it's a prerequisite for almost everything else. If I wasn't able to take it this term, then I'd have to extend my schooling a whole extra term. When I found all this out in November, I really freaked out.

Thursday I was sent an email from the adviser at school wanting to know if I still needed to register for it because there was one empty seat. I didn't read the email until today, so I replied and hoped I didn't miss the deadline. A few hours later I tried to register online, and I got in! Yeah!

Getting ready for school

I now have access to two of my classes via an online system. I printed the syllabi and the first couple weeks of assignments and readings. I put everything into my three-ring binder. Tomorrow I get to pick up my textbooks.

I also put the assignments and readings due dates in my Outlook calendar. Last term I printed out one week from Outlook on one side, and the second week on the other side. I kept only one sheet of the calendar with me in my notebooks. This term I'm going to print out the whole term, so I can reference more weeks in advance. I saw lots of people using a spiral calendar, and I thought I wanted to get one, too. But I figure it would just take up more space, and I can accomplish the same thing using my computer.

Happy New Year!

It's New Year's Eve. This year we're staying home to be with each other. I'm really looking forward to it.

We're going to try a few new drinks, play games, and maybe watch some movies. But we're also planning on going to bed by 10 pm. That'll be a first for me. I'm starting a strict sleep schedule for school because I have early classes this term.

An Inspiration for All

You have to go see these quilts that Andrea made. They are absolutely gorgeous! And she finished four quilts in one year! She is truly an inspiration and an encouragement to me, and I know she will be for anyone else that also has projects that need dedication and finishing.

Rock climbing

There's a rock wall at the school recreation center. I've gone a few times since the beginning of the term. It's really fun! Belaying is cool. I'll take some pictures here sometime soon and post them.

Heroes

I love Heroes this season! John & I totally guessed that Adam was the English dude. Hiro had to go back in time to straighten him out, but then he gave him his god complex and made him vengeful.

Each episode keeps getting better and better.

Ideas?

Any ideas for a population or environment problem or solution that I could do a project on?

First an A, then a D & an F!

So I took these two online exams for my business computer class, one for Access, one for Excel. I was blown away at how hard they were! There wasn't enough time, and the program was really picky about how you completed the steps. I got a D in Access and an F in Excel!

I was so frustrated that I emailed the professor. I guess I wasn't the only one who complained because he turned the exams into assignments each worth 5% of our grade instead of 20% each. He also changed the third exam completely. It's now a combined Access/Excel data problem to be turned in.

I'm relieved that he changed things. Other than that, I really like this class.

Surprised by an A

So I finally got my first test back from my geography test. I was so nervous before I took it, and I didn't think I did that well. Frankly, I was expecting a C or D.

But, I got an A (90 out of 100)! I couldn't believe it! I might actually have a chance in this class to do well. Very exciting!

Business school application

I applied to the business major this week. I had to answer two questions on the application about my academic and career goals and how I would add value to the college of business. John gave me a big compliment on my writing, which really impressed me, so I thought I'd share what I wrote:

Growing up, I always knew that I would get my bachelor’s degree. My parents encouraged me to strive to achieve my dreams and goals. They taught me that any person could do anything if they just worked hard enough.

Since high school, I’ve spent some time going to college, experiencing life and gaining perspective on work. It has taught me to value goals and put a plan in place to achieve them. In the business school, I want to study accounting because it is applicable to and imperative in any and every business. My vision is to consult with small businesses in order to help them manage their accounting needs.

I’m not yet sure of my career focus. I’m hoping to discover this along the way by taking advantage of the different clubs and student organizations on campus. I’ve heard a little bit about some clubs (I removed the names), and I want to learn more. I would like to work towards an economics minor because I’m interested in the free enterprise market, and I think it is a great alliance with business and accounting.

Because I’ve had some time to reflect on life, careers and school, I feel prepared to invest more in my schooling and the relationships I am forming and will continue to form while I’m here. I’m ready to center my energy, skills, and time in order to cultivate my overall school experience and build up the lives of those around me.

I will add value to the college of business by actively participating in my classes. When working with groups, I will encourage other students to fulfill their potential. I enjoy working as a team to solve problems and get a sense of connection. My most recent job involved working as a team in the accounts payable department at a local store. I was brought in as a temporary worker to help fill in for vacations and help catch up in some areas. I learned various tasks, and, as needed, I rotated through the positions, such as data entry clerk, imaging clerk, accounts payable specialist, and a general clerical support position. The supervisor insisted that if I wasn’t going back to school, she would have liked to hire me.

I would like to dedicate some time to leadership roles here at the college. It’s really important to me to develop these skills to use in my life and my career. An example of my taking the lead was when I worked at the church coffee stand. I volunteered to help on a regular shift before and after Sunday services. I helped set up all the equipment and prepare the coffee pots and espresso machine, and I cleaned up in the afternoon. After a couple months, the team lead asked me to help with the daily accounting books and fill in as team lead as needed. It was exciting to be given more responsibility and to explore the different areas of the organization.

I would like to volunteer or work in different areas of the college, possibly in peer advising, in the career center, or in one of the computer labs. Helping other students transition into school and understand the resources available to them is important to me. Already this term some kind students and faculty have made me feel welcome and feel like I belong, and I’d like to continue to help others feel the same.

School update

So I've been in school for two weeks now. I like most of my classes. I have two that make me think, and two that are for my business degree that are kinda just keep up with the work and you'll be fine.

I really enjoy being on campus. I like going in the morning before my afternoon classes and finding a quiet corner in the library to read and study. I like being able to ride the bus and reading while on it, and getting some exercise from the walk to it.

John has been a great support. He took off from work some days last week to help me with the adjustment of starting school. He gave me a ride a couple of times this week too. He's been very sweet, like he usually is!

Which should I choose?

The electric company has a list of trees it recommends for planting near power lines. I have a good incentive to pick one from their list because if I buy one from a certain local nursery, we get a discount. So, here's the list.

Beech, weeping purple
Cherry, flowering
Columnar Spruce
Dogwood
Dwarf Plum
Galaxy Magnolia
Globe Maple
Goldenchain Tree
Halesia
Hinoki Cypress
Japanese Maple
Japanese Snowball
Lilac
Photinia
Redbud
Rhododendron
Royal Galaxy Magnolia
Smoke Tree, purple
Snowball Bush
Stewartia
Weeping Hornbeam
Weeping Spruce

A few are out of the running right off the bat. We already have too many rhododendrons. We also have a couple lilacs; they're nice but I'd like a real tree, and lilacs just seem like a bush to me. We already have two cherry trees. And the plum is out for sure. Too messy!

I think my favorite without researching them is the dogwood. I've always loved them, and by the looks of the trees around the neighborhood, they do really well here. But I still want to explore our other options.

Plum tree

We had our plum tree cut down this week. It was growing into the power lines and was a very messy tree, so we asked the electric company to take it down.

Here are before and after pictures.





Obviously, it's very sunny in our backyard now. My job now is to pick a tree or trees to replace it so we can have some shade again.

Update

Okay, so since both my Mom and John's Mom have posted blogs after being away for so long, I'll post too.

I've been enjoying my crosswords lately. I copy the puzzle page out of the newspaper at work and work on it during my breaks and lunch. There's a Sudoku puzzle, Jumble, Crytoquote, and the Crossword. I used to just do the Sudoku, but it started to not last all day. Now it takes me most of the day and some of the evening to finish the page. I used to be so intimated by crosswords. Most of the time I complete about 80% of the puzzle on my own. It feels really good.

Fresh veggies

We've really been enjoying our fresh vegetables out of our garden. I like the Blue Lake Pole beans the best; they have the best flavor!