I’d forgotten how old David and I are, and how boring. =)

We’re also starting to think about moving, and that’s put [slight] a damper on my spirits (and so my exuberance). I’m not moping about, but I have started thinking of things in a Last Time Bell light.

The Last Time Bell – I read a long time ago in some silly book about a character whose childhood was ripped away from her when her parents were both killed in an accident. She was the oldest and had to grow up quickly as she raised her siblings. She felt the loss of her childhood and regretted not making the most of it (what child would know to do that?)… so she invented the Last Time Bell. She’d mentally ring it when she might be experiencing something for the last time. The bell helped her consciously absorb everything she could about the experience.

Nothing else from that book stuck with me (like I said, it was some silly book), but I think of this bell when I approach the end of a personal era.

Anyway, it’s quiet around here. David’s playing Kingdom of Loathing and I’m left alone with my thoughts, without a teenager to shake me out of the doldrums.

• is settling back into her work day. it’s jarring jumping from church/childcare business back into “real” life… #
  
  It really is challenging to jump back and forth between my “lives” – church, work, and personal. I have what feels like three separate identities, and they all intrude upon one another. I’m the same person, but my responsibilities are so very different from life to life, as are people’s views of me. I have so much to do in each that I never can simply switch from one to another… It’s hard to manage.

• really enjoyed today’s bright warmth – such a welcome change from dreary winter, and just what was needed on a tough day. #
  
  It really was rough. After the meeting with the church treasurer, I went to a Childcare Board meeting. We will come back together next week after digesting, thinking, praying… but we have mostly come to a consensus that the Childcare will close. It is the end of an era, and will drastically change lives of church members. It’s difficult to conduct a meeting such as the one we had with sensitivity, grace, and kindness – and to still be true to facts and figures. I am not a soft person, but I hurt for the staff who will lose jobs – more than jobs, ministries and livelihoods.

• is no longer watching Godspell. It’s ridiculous. Finding something else. #
  Wow, was Godspell terrible (well, the first 20 minutes, anyway). Seriously – I like these kinds of things (modern adaptations of old/ancient stories), but the Jesus mime/clown character was just… creepy. I ended up watching two forgettable (but not disturbing, at least) comedies. It was nice to have an evening “off.”

In our summer, we:

• Went to Myrtle Beach, SC (which I mentioned in the last post)

so very relaxing…

don’t they look SO happy?!

graduation party glasses. =)

• Went to the Aukerman family reunion

me and my D

a really great picture of Randy (rare to see him really smile on camera)

D playing like a little boy

• Saw three Indians games

the obligatory “us at the pro” photo

beautiful park!

the Aukerfamily in front of the Pro

• Went to Canada, first to visit friends Jim and Jessie in Kitchener, then to Bethany’s family’s cabin on Aylen Lake, then back to Jim and Jessie’s. No pictures from the lake – I left my camera at J&J’s! – but a couple of photos from the border and Toronto…

Dave’s first time over the border – he was giddy!

interesting city, Toronto. we walked for a while after an Indians/Jays game
we won, father-in-law! seems like it’s you, not me… =)

• Drove straight from Kitchener (in ONTARIO) to Shawn and Lauren’s rehearsal (in TERRE HAUTE)..
• To watch dear friend Shawn marry his Lauren  =)

here’s the hall and his folks

• watched cousin Greg marry his Val

didn’t get any pictures of the bride and groom!
got a pic of Randy and Carrie and their Garrett, though…

the ymca – a new party tradition, it seems =)

the brothers Aukerman

• Had my whole family visit (last time for a while)

melissa, hamming for the camera

daddy, clowning for the camera

Grandma Dee =) our visit with her and Brad was so sweet!

me and melissa =)

• Watched my littlest sister start her first semester of college
• Waved goodbye to my middlest sister as she left the country for another 2 years, just when we were starting to get used to her being back…

… and that brings us to this week.

I’m about to wave goodbye to my littlest sister – she’s headed for a semester in Ireland.  And I’m about to wave goodbye to the job I’ve had for almost a year – my contract at the hospital is up on August 31.

David’s about to start adjunct teaching again as he begins the pastoral candidating process.

Lots of changes have happened already, and lots more are about to come.  Stay tuned.  =)

I wanted to post about our vacation, so I’ll write a few lines and then get with the picture posting.

It’s been a rough couple of months.  Fast-paced, full of big, personal decisions and stressors.  Things have been building for a long time – no breaks from the everyday worries can build, and when you start dealing with bigger things, stress and exhaustion can overwhelm you.  It was perfect timing for a vacation.

We went to Myrtle Beach, as we have done every summer for the past few years.  This is always a wonderful trip – not only do we get to be right on the beach for a week, we also get to reunite with good friends and with my family.  Bill and Georgiana are two of the most generous and loving people we know – they open their home to 6 noisy and messy invaders every summer.  Now that Melissa’s overseas and we’re out here in Indiana, my immediate family is rarely completely together.  This is one of the few times a year that all (or most) of us can be found in one location, and it’s a much-needed reconnection.

For the first time in years, I completely relaxed.

David will laugh – being with my family can be anything BUT restful because we’re a lively, merry, and flat-out loud bunch.  But there’s always been a strong current of satisfaction with one another, of joy, that flows through every interaction we have.  Even the spatting.  =)  And then there was the calming influence and peaceful energy of good friends – Bill and Georgiana – to round out the atmosphere.

I didn’t work at all – on every other “vacation” I’ve taken in the past 3 years, I’ve had to bring work as a condition for getting the time off.  Now that I’m in a new environment, I was able to actually disengage from the work for a week.

I left behind the weight of recent weeks.  Heaviness, even while mostly balanced by peace (a true gift of God), has been my constant companion for two months now.  While I was gone, I just… rested.  And I was able to talk to my family about some of the things that have been weighing on me – having that support is already making a difference.

I came back to my life rested, more optimistic, and ready to face facts and challenges.  But in this world, there’s always sadness waiting to temper joy.  Friends are losing their jobs while I’m thanking God for my own.  People who work very hard and manage money carefully can’t make ends meet, and can’t get help from the state or the government – while people who wallow in their own laziness and selfishness make choices that harm their own families – and get paid to do it.

It’s hard to maintain cheer and optimism when so many are battered so roughly by life… I am grateful to have a well to draw from when I’ve reached the end of my strength.  How can people survive without a faith in something beyond circumstance and surroundings?

Today’s accomplishments:

• I got my email inbox down to 98 current personal/client emails (down from 240-some). It’s been months and months since I’ve been below 100 – and that’s with filters set up so that many emails skip the inbox entirely! This is what happens when you try to keep in touch with people and keep up with a web business in addition to volunteering.
• I’ve finally made contact with Beth, the woman fostering a Ridgeback we are thinking of adopting. We started planning a meet-n-greet in… June? But there was tonsillitis (Beth, not the dog), then natural disaster – she lives in Cedar Rapids, IA with all the flooding, then family crises, then a month of family reunions for us, then VBS, then vacation… I think we’ll finally get to meet in August. Maybe. Hopefully.
• I’ve finally got my Tekyn stuff together – I’m up-to-date with all of our clients, and have even picked up a new one over the weekend. That one will be fun – he knows his stuff, and knows what he wants while still being willing to listen to my suggestions. Refreshing. =) I got the go-ahead to start building a framework today.

All that despite working a full day and nursing a very ill (bronchitis, folks, mixed with some acid reflux) husband to sleep (not to health – his body has to do that). I’m feeling pretty good. =)

We’re back from another action-packed weekend. Another weekend, another reunion, another bout of illness from these Aukerfolk. Dave’s ill and I’ve been experiencing stomach distress. Enough distress that while I DID participate in and lose the Schrader classic [mini-golf game] as is my tradition, I did NOT ride the carousel or join the cousins at the batting cages this year. Instead, I took pictures and then crashed on a picnic table bench.

Fun reunion photos are here.

Also, it’s VBS week at Woodruff Place Baptist. I may post a few funny pics, but I probably won’t blog too much this week. Maybe.

My husband is so sweet – makes me feel like a mush (and those of you who know me know what an accomplishment that is…). On our first anniversary, David gave me a red rose and a white rose. Red for the year we’d been married, white for the year to come. He told me he’d do the same thing for as long as we lived. =) This year was the three red roses year.

I love you, D.

I’m looking forward to spending this next year with you. =)

So, Leah’s gone. Her visit was so wonderful – we adore that girl, and I just LOVE having her around. We have a lot in common, so I didn’t feel like she was a guest I had to go out of my way to entertain… it was just easy to be with her. We didn’t do all that much – just lived my life together and hung out – but it was so much more fun than it normally is! We keep ourselves very busy with people and events – Leah knows now that I’m not exaggerating when I say things never slow down. =)

For example. Just this weekend: I will be working 10 hours of OT, a couple of hours for my contracting company (Sedona Learning Solutions), an hour or so catching up on some web admin stuff for NADDI, AND preparing for, then hosting Zach (the teen boy who’ll be “living” with us for July starting this weekend). Then we have a birthday party and an open house.

But, things are starting to get back on track. I’ll have the time to do the things I need to once this project is finished and stops invading my personal life. Maybe I’ll even have a chance to get out there and take some pictures before it’s autumn.

Leah’s been visiting for the last few weeks, and I have a hard time spending time at the computer when I can hang out with her. And there’s been precious little time for even that because of recent events.

A sampling – in one weekend, we went to 3 cookouts. That week, we had a teen from our church living with us while his foster family took a road-trip. The next weekend, we went to a wedding and our car was totalled. That week, Leah and David bought Rock Band (so we played quite a bit). The next weekend, we almost got another dog, and instead bought a new car. All the while, I was involved in a politically charged project at work with a TIGHT timeline. Meaning I was working OT.

Anyway, stories and pictures are forthcoming. I don’t have time right now, but I’ll start posting again in small bits soon.

So, I hurt my knee when I was a kid, and over the years, I’ve had more and more pain. It started hurting after high school (when I wasn’t active and doing sport-style exercise regularly anymore), but was intermittent – I hurt when I did a lot of jumping and running around. Nowadays, it hurts with the weather and pretty much anytime I do any kind of extended activity – even walking.

Which is why I went to the doctor. When your knee swells just from going up and down stairs and walking the dog, there’s an issue.

Long appointment summarized: I probably have some small tears in the cartilage below my kneecap, and as I’ve gotten less active and heavier (I don’t chase kids anymore – I work at a computer), the muscles are weaker and the knee is getting more irritated. Oh yeah, and the kinds of exercise I’ve been trying to do more of (DDR – because it’s FUN – and bike riding) are going to make the pain worse.

The good news is that I’m not deformed (any more than the rest of you freaks) like my doctor told me I might be, but the bad news I’m going to have to do some physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around my knee to take some of the pressure off of the cartilage. That’s not bad, per se – just time consuming, expensive, and uncomfortable. But hey – if it’ll keep my “early onset arthritis” at bay, I’m game. =)

Oh, and check out the fancy pants I had to change into! Yeah, that’s paper:

]]> http://tara.aukerman.org/wordpress/2008/05/therapy-2/feed/ 1 http://tara.aukerman.org/wordpress/2008/04/dijonnaise/ http://tara.aukerman.org/wordpress/2008/04/dijonnaise/#comments Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:57:00 +0000 Tara http://tara.elmadera.com/wordpress/2008/04/dijonnaise/ This is a really great, and very easy to make, dish – thought I’d share it (Leah, Melissa).

• 4 boned/skinned chicken breast halves
• 1/3 cup mustard (1/2 dijon, 1/2 coarse pommery)
• 1/3 cup vermouth or dry white wine
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• to taste freshly ground black pepper
• to taste salt

1. Coat the chicken with mustard and set in a covered bowl. Marinate for 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Arrange the chicken in a baking dish. Scrape out remaining mustard (from the marinating bowl) and spread evenly over chicken. Season with pepper and pour white wine over.
4. Back (basting occasionally) in center rack of oven for 30-40 minutes.
5. Scrape mustard off and back into the backing dish. Transfer chicken to a serving platter and keep warm.
6. Skim fat from cooking juices and set in baking dish over medium heat. Bring to a boil and whisk in sour cream. Lower the heat. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until reduced by 1/3. Season with salt and pepper and pour over chicken. Serve hot.

David met me at the airport when we flew in after several delays, saying he had a surprise for me.  He had tickets to a concert.  I was floored, thinking “What?  David bought tickets to a concert?”

We’re not concert people.  And he’s not a ticket-buying person.  Turns out, though, that my world is still intact – they were bought by a friend’s boss and his date stood him up.  He gave the tickets to my friend, and my friend gave them to David.  Which is why David was standing there with tickets to a Michael Buble concert.  Again, something we NEVER would have gone to see.  But, we’re usually up for something different.  We decided to go – knowing full well that we’d spend most of the concert being amazed at the cheese and the crazy ladies.

And crazy ladies there were in abundance.  Screaming ladies, yelling ladies, swooning ladies.  And teens!  So many of them… screaming “I love you, Michael” at every quiet moment.  It was insane.  Oh, yeah – there was also this super man fan sitting next to on top of me.  He’d had four beers before he took his seat (the cups were stacked and he smelled).  A few songs in, he and his date got up (spilling their beer all over the floor and my foot) and started dancing (drunkenly and a bit like hippies) in the aisle.  They never did come back.

Aside from that mess and the sheer cheese of a crooner concert, we had a good time.  We laughed a lot, at the people there and at Michael himself.  He was a lot funnier (and fouler) than I thought he’d be.  He has a great voice, and his jazz stuff was really good.  His swagger, his jokes, his personality onstage – it was like he was channeling Frank Sinatra.  The worst part of the evening was the pop set – those songs sucked.  Really badly.  David and I left when he made the crowd stand up and clap with him.  I just really don’t go for that stuff.

All in all, it was a good way to spend a Friday night – doing something different.

I’m also working four weeks of 10 hours of overtime. That’s 40 hours at time and a half. At my consultant/contracting rate.  =) That sounds pretty danged good to me. (I’m not usually that girl, but just think about the shoes I can buy!)

So. Not a lot of time for posting and taking pictures (sorry, Leah). But I’m dropping in tonight to ask two things:

1. What is UP with my husband’s fascination with Deal or No Deal? (It’s my personal opinion that there is no worse example of the degredation of the entertainment industry. )
2. Why is it that I haven’t thought of high school in years and years and all of a sudden it’s on my mind now? (Answer: Facebook. They’ve found me.)

Pirate Dave, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.

This is pirate Dave.

When friend & coworker DD heard that David spent the day scrubbing our deck so it could be stained and sealed, she sent me home with an eye patch… so he could be a proper pirate. This is him. Wearing the patch.

It’s kinda funny… One of the kids at church, Kaylin, is writing a story featuring David and I. In this story, David is the pirate captain and I’m his first officer (mate? I don’t know pirate terminology). Maybe I’ll suggest this as cover art… =)

This time, the drive didn’t seem that long. It was only 6 hours to WVA, and since we hadn’t driven a long distance in over a week, we were ready for a road trip. Seriously… I felt kinda weird staying home last weekend. It was the first weekend since the beginning of December that we didn’t travel out of the state. I’m starting to feel at home in my car.

I always enjoy going to West Virginia. My folks out there are the neatest people… and I got to see an uncle from Ohio and an aunt from Idaho while I was there. We always have a grand ‘ol time, squeezing as many people into the house as possible (we had 10 people crashing at once, this time). We’ve done the same thing – cramming folks in and spending a whirlwind couple of days together – for as long as I can remember.

These last two trips (one in August, one this weekend) have been different from years past. I hadn’t been back in several years before the August trip, so when I did go, it was an interesting experience. I was seeing all the things and people I’d grown up with through my adult eyes. I noticed things I never saw when I was a kid. My favorite change: I’m starting to get to know my cousin, Robin.

We’ve always been pals – we’re Hestle’s (my dad’s mom) girls. =) That means, among other things, that as the oldest girls in our respective nuclear families, we’ve inherited some interesting traits – a propensity for sass being high on the list. But now that I’m not much of a kid anymore, I’m starting to appreciate Robin. She’s just… NEAT. I like her a lot, and each time I visit lately, I’ve been looking foward to spending time with her. And watching her tease my mother. =)

Anyway, I do believe we’re done with the traveling for a little while.  Maybe things will settle down enough that I can get back into some kind of a routine.  My house really needs a little bit of attention – and we have work to do!  Our next project is the downstairs bathroom.  David’s torn the cabinets out, and we’ve started stripping the awful yellow paint from the beautiful original wood.  Pictures soon.  =)

Today, some dude stopped us in a parking lot as we were going into a store.  He said, “Can I ask you guys a really big favor?”  He wanted us to spot him for some gas.  He said he was on a trip and had just come from the gas station (which was on the other side of the parking lot), and realized then that he’d left his money clip with his credit cards and cash at home.  He said if we’d help him, he’d send a check or Western Union (can I use that as a verb?) the money back to us, etc., etc.

We put $20 of gas into his car for him and told him not to worry about it.  Either he’s an honest guy, and we did a decent thing for another decent human, or he’s a con and we’d never see the payback anyway. Whatever.  Angels unaware and all that.

We had fun, however, inventing stories for the guy – if he wasn’t who he said he was, who is he?  We thought he might be:

• driving a stolen car, but there was no wallet in the glove box like he thought when he stole it
• a dude living with his mom – who grounded him and took away his allowance (he was in his forties)
• on the lam, trying not to leave a paper trail with his credit card
• in the Amazing Race (or something like it), where he had to get to the next destination with no money
• competing with old frat buddies – who can get the farthest from home without paying for anything
• in a fight with his woman, who kicked him out and stole his money

Whoever he was, he’s part of a long string of folks asking us for a few bucks.  Seems like, even in SUPER rural West Virginia, we can’t get away.  =)