We've been "hunkering" down in the house lately and are feeling the effect big-time! Cabin fever is alive and well in the Seger household at the moment. We hear rumors that the weather is supposed to offer us a hint of spring in the near future... so we're all crossing our fingers in the hopes of being able to venture outside soon for some fresh air! In any case, winter always seems to swallow everyone up into the warmth of their homes and family and friends lose touch for a few months... here's an update on what we've been up to (and some of our plans for '09).
Alan and I attended his first official TechMetals awards banquet this past weekend. It was nice for me to put names with faces! His hours have slowed down a bit (which is a nice change of pace from working 60 hrs per week!) and he has been feeling a little bit more energized because of it. He is still, however, leaving the house well before my alarm squeals in my ear and so by 9 o'clock at night he is snoring up a storm on the couch while I am online tutoring. It's amazing how you try to make the most of your "alone" time when you have it... ours is few and far between. Though, we have found that doing the dishes together can be a great way for us to catch up with eachother and chat about important topics, decisions, etc. I've been enjoying this time together so much lately that I loathe doing the dishes myself... I get bored! :) Anyway, Alan has discovered a disc golf course in the Englewood Metro Park and is itching fervently to try it out... he's waiting on warmer weather to get here with baited breath. I'm trying to convince him to compete in a couple tournaments.. we'll keep you posted on that!
Marissa has been loving pre-school (Thursday School) and will have her class photos taken this week. We had kindergarten roundup last week at Broadway Elementary in Tipp City. It's hard to believe she will be in kindergarten next year! Wow! In any case, she was very excited to meet her principal and to have a tour of the school. She can't wait to be an elementary school student and I'm afraid she may turn into as big of a teacher's pet as I was! Uh-oh!
Jake turned 18 mos. in February. Sharon gave him his "photo shoot" this past weekend... I will have to get a few pics up soon. Bless her heart, Sharon tried all that she could to get him to stop crying.... yes, I said crying. Unfortunately, Jakey boy takes after his Aunt Hollie when it comes to having his picture taken. The minute I sat his buns on the couch in the studio, tears were streaming down his face and snot rockets were escaping out of his nose! Oh well, there's always next time and we were still somehow able to capture a few good shots! :) Alan and I are anxiously awaiting the day when the last of Jake's 8 teeth that are coming at the same time are finished popping their way through his gums. He has been one grumpy little bugger lately and has been a bear at night. We know he's been in pain so we hope that those teeth come in quickly and we're trying to take the hard nights in stride. On a brighter note, Jake has been learning new words daily and we feel like it will only be a matter of time when he is having full-on conversations with us. His favorite words of the moment seem to be "tractor", "cracker", "cheese", "juice" and "more". He's also been nodding or shaking his head like a pro to try and get his point across! :)
As for myself, work at the Extension office has been rather busy lately. I have been getting materials together for the Move It Miami County program as well as several other projects and programs that are going on simultaneously. I am excited to be traveling to Baltimore in May to give a presentation at the CYFAR conference - it's a great conference and it may just be Alan and I's only get-away together this year. So we'll try to make the most of it while we're out there. At any rate, I've been trying to prepare for that as well... Outside of my day job I've cut back on my tutoring hours but still do it online at home 10 hours per week at night after the kids are "supposed" to be in bed :P. And to top it all off I've decided to act on an offer given to me months ago by Alan and I's wedding decorator... she has offered to partner with me to develop a wedding invitation design business. I will be designing template packages for wedding invitations, enclosure cards, program covers and thank you cards. Brides (and grooms of course) will be able to purchase the templates at very low rates and then print them onto their own stationary, cardstock. etc. I'm very excited to get Cherry Tree Paperie & Design up and running by the end of March! Of course, this will more than likely be a hobby and not a huge source of income, but I would love to make enough so that I wouldn't have to tutor late at night and have more time to spend with the kids. We'll see how it goes...
Alan and I are taking the kids on a short trip out of state to the Wildwood Inn on the 14th - I'll post some pictures when we return. Everyone is very excited about this trip, especially Marissa (we're staying in a treehouse themed room!)
We hope everyone is doing well. Spring is almost here!
