Let's start with the fact that the school year ended in mid-May with a host of papers to be written all at the same time. Yes, I knew about many of them in advance, but why get started on a paper in advance when you have two weeks in which you can write them all. I have to say that I was most impressed with the score I got one part of a take-home exam ... after banging my head against the wall for hours thinking "this sucks" and then realizing the deadline was all too close and I had better refine what I had and turn it in, I finally got to the point of saying "forget it ... I'll turn in what I have with a note saying, "this sucks, but it's all I've got left" ... somehow on that one essay (1 of 5 I had to turn in for that class) I got a 28 out of 28! Go figure ... I guess I know more than I think I do sometimes.
On to the title of this blog. If you haven't been included on the news of LIFE then there must be a major malfunction in my information forwarding system. Yes, we finally welcomed our baby into the world on May 29 ... 9lbs 11oz and Olivia Grace finally got to see mom and dad with her eyes! There were a few delays in getting her home from the hospital, those were taxing on us emotionally, but all in all things went really well.
Between Olivia's birth and her coming home, we moved to a new apartment. Thanks to a wonderful group of friends who went way above and beyond the call of duty! We got moved to our new space in Walnut Creek where (now 3 weeks later) we are settled in and living happily. All of the books about birth say you shouldn't move too close to the time of the baby's due date, and now I know why ... there are simply too many things that can happen to derail a perfectly laid plan. Oh, well. We made it, although we're still trying to find our ice bucket!
Regarding DEATH there is never a good time for the passing of a loved one or a friend. I was shocked at the news of the death of one of my seminary classmates from a massive heart attack. She was only 55 and so vibrant. I remember seeing her smiling face before she left for the summer and in my mind I only thought, "we are so blessed to have Margaret here" ... now I utter those words again as I think about how blessed I have been to have her (and her wonderful husband) touch my life. Despite many students being gone for the summer, about 70 people gathered at the PLTS chapel for a service of memory and prayer the day after Margaret's death ... I know that will only be the beginning of how our class will remember her.
As for TAXES can I just utter how annoyed I am that the IRS is so difficult to figure out. So we got a letter from a past employer saying that they accidentally misreported income (I feel like a fool for not having noticed when I did our taxes) in 2006. So, I'm trying to figure out what I need to do in order to correct my filing with the IRS. I have a feeling it is going to be a huge hassle and there will likely be little help along the way. So, if you'd like to help me figure out how to give the IRS more money (because surely there will be a penalty involved as well as more tax due since the amount reported was too low originally) let me know.
It's been a sleepless night for me. I was resting well from about midnight until 3:30 am when Olivia woke-up hungry. As is the norm in the house, I got the pleasure of changing her diaper when she was done eating. After that, I simply couldn't get back to sleep. It's not like I had anything on my mind (except, "gee it would be nice to get back to sleep") or had anything I should be doing. So there I lay in bed debating about getting up ... finally at 6:30 (Olivia's next meal time) I decided I had enough of laying bed awake ... downstairs to the computer I trod ... played some games, checked some email, played more games ... now I blog. Maybe if I turn on the TV I'll be able to get a few minutes of sleep before the day begins.
