June 2009 Update

It’s been nearly a month since my last blog (other than the poem, which doesn’t count since I didn’t write it), and I thought it was about time to tell everyone what’s been going on with us.

It has been crazy around the Baun residence lately!

As usual, this time of year, things have been really busy. First, there was all the time spent watching the Stanley Cup Finals at the beginning of the month. Then, Curt and I have season tickets to the Mahoning Valley Thunder (AF2 Football), and we had two games in two weeks. Usually they are spaced out a little more than that. On June 19, we took a friend and her son (who I think is now 7 years old) to see one of the games. It was actually the best game of the year! The game on the 27th was Fireworks Night, so we got home a little later than usual.

Then, between the two Thunder games, we had the Great Lakes Regional Roller Skating Championships in Romeoville, Illinois. Obviously, Curt and I were not skating, but Curt had students that were. Out of the three entries (four students skating - two solo and one team), one solo skater qualified for the National Championships in August. So, on August 7, we will be heading to Peoria, Illinois for the National Championships.

Then yesterday, Sunday, June 28, was a big day for me. I was baptized. It was such an amazing experience, and I don’t even know how to begin to describe it…so I won’t. (LOL) I’ll just say that it was so great to have Curt there, in the water with me (pictures on FB), and to have my parents there, as well as Bill, Amy, and Matthew. After church, we went to eat with my parents. We got to spend a little time with Matthew later in the afternoon, and we visited with long-time family friends at Curt’s parents’ house. It was such an awesome day that I didn’t want it to end!

However, here it is…Monday…and I’m back at work. I’m so glad to have a long weekend coming up. Of course, as usual, we have a full, busy weekend planned. I think we’ll have a free weekend in the middle of August! So, until I have some free time again…

Chaos Takes Over

"The Baun Boys"

(ha ha ha)

Wow. It seems like forever since I last posted. You know how it goes…our holidays got chaotic, and then, we decided to go to Myrtle Beach for New Year’s, to meet our new grandson, Logan, and to spend holiday with Curt’s kids…all three of them.

In all the years that Curt and I have been a couple, I don’t remember any holiday where he has had all three of his kids together – and we’ve been together nearly 14 years. In fact, the last time we had them all together was for Scott and Jessica’s wedding several years ago.

We arrived in Myrtle Beach around 1:30 on New Year’s Eve. Ethan was napping, but we finally met Logan. I was so happy to finally rub his little head full of wild, dark hair. (Most of you know that since I first saw Logan’s picture, all I’ve wanted to do was rub that little head!) Even though we were tired from our trip, we stayed awake and celebrated the arrival of 2009 with Scott and Jessica.

The next day, New Year’s Day 2009, Curt enjoyed a poker game with Bill, Scott, and Cari. (Cari’s boyfriend, Victor, joined in later.) I was so happy for Curt to have this time with them. I don’t know if they realize what it meant to Curt for them to spend this time with him, even if it was only a couple of hours.

We spent the next couple of days just hanging out with Scott, Jessica, Ethan, Logan, and Cari (whenever she wasn’t working or sleeping, since she works nights). We even made it down to the beach for a short walk. You know me: I couldn’t be that close to the beach and not go for a walk, and I had never been to the beach in the winter.

Ethan warmed up to us a little more quickly this time. We were only there for 3 1/2 days (as opposed to 7 days last time), and Ethan was talking to us and even giving us hugs and kisses. Logan seemed to think that Grandpa was really funny. Curt seemed to be able to make Logan smile more than anyone!

We left on Sunday morning, before anyone else was even out of bed. We got home and spent the evening relaxing and reflecting on the wonderful time we had (despite the nasty wind during the drive down and the yucky weather driving home). Between Monday and Tuesday, we finally got our Christmas decorations down and put away.

There’s just so much more I could add, but I just realized that this is getting to be a long post. So, I’ll sign off by wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2009.

Bible Study - Update - Myrtle Beach Trip

Unfortunately, I didn't get to go to the Bible study last night. Things really blew up with our upcoming trip to Myrtle Beach. First, we found out that our friend, Betty, couldn't go with us, due to her husband being in the hospital. This may not sound like a big issue to some, but we use Betty's timeshare when we go, so this was a bigger deal than one may think.

So, we got a "guest certificate" (for an additional fee), which would allow the remainder of the party to go without Betty. However, we then noticed that the reservation was for a one-bedroom unit, when it was supposed to be for a two-bedroom unit. (It's hard to sleep 5 people in one bedroom.) The company assured us that the one-bedroom could accommodate our party, but then they said that two of the beds were bunk beds! Well, Curt and I really aren't into the bunk-bed thing, and I don't think my parents (both between 65 and 70 years old) are up for getting into bunk beds! So after some arguing with them for screwing up the reservation, we ended up with NO PLACE TO STAY.

Talk about panic!!

So, we called my mom and kept getting her voicemail all evening. She finally called me back to say that they may not be going with us, since her sister (in New Jersey) was in the hospital. My mom and her other sisters are probably heading to Jersey this weekend or early next week.

Curt and I made arrangements to stay with his son, but then Curt decided that he wanted to stay on the beach or no where. So, we spent about 20 minutes looking online, and we found what looks to be a GREAT place to stay!

So, what ended up not being a great way to spend an evening didn't turn out too bad. We're still waiting to hear about Betty's husband and my aunt, who are both in the hospital (one in Cleveland, and one in Jersey). Nevertheless, we have a place to stay, and the trip is still on...thankfully!