Wichita, here we come!

We are moving - to Wichita, Kansas! Chet got an offer from Johnson Controls - Controls division and we can't pass it up. He will be the Quality Manager at the JCI Facility that makes Heating and Air Conditioning units in Wichita. We are sad to leave friends and family, but excited about the new ministry opportunities the Lord is giving us in a new place!

Chet and I went this weekend and checked out the city and the housing market there. I was pleased to find a Starbucks and a Talbots (and also a Williams-Sonoma that Chet says he'll have to limit my trips into!) Anyway, we were pleasantly surprised to find out we'll have plenty of room for anyone to come visit ANYTIME - so, when we get settled, come on and we'll put you up in the Sears' Hilton - or maybe just the Sears' hotel...

I am excited to be staying home with the kids when we get there. It'll be a new adventure for me as I've always said I wasn't cut out for full-time stay-at-home work... but here we go - hope I can stay sane! There are many parks (a list of like 45 - really!) so we'll be outdoors a lot... and there are several museums along the Arkansas River to visit so I'm sure the kids and I will be checking them all out very soon!

Chet will be leaving soon to go up there and work - so pray for us as I finish working in Shreveport while trying to get our house ready to sell... which should be an interesting task! Also, pray that the Lord will provide us with Christian friends there who will encourage us and lift us up in Him. I'm sad to be leaving the precious friends he has given me here, but I know He will provide for us there too!

We'll try to keep you posted as things progress... but until then, check out how far you are from Wichita at Yahoo Maps:

http://maps.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTExNmIycG51BF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEc2VjA2ZwLWJ1dHRvbgRzbGsDbGluaw--#mvt=m&q1=Wichita%2C%20KS&trf=0&lon=-97.36084&lat=37.701207&mag=13&env=F

We can handle it!

There must be a sign on our front door that says, "Bring it on - the Sears can handle it!" Last week, Stahley got the chicken pox. This is the calamine before she had the worst ones... then, yesterday morning around 4am, I woke up sick. I threw up until around 10am. I was okay after that besides being so dizzy I couldn't even sit up! Wow - I watched tv all day lying down. NOT my idea of fun.

Tonight, Stone got sick at the dinner table. He was fine 5 minutes later, so I'm thinking he just gagged himself with too much food. He tries to cram so much in his mouth at once. I still don't understand that, but we're working on it. Anyway, time will tell. If he gets sick again, I'll assume he has my virus. If not, it was just the food... or maybe the cook!

Stone's mom & Grant's mom

Andrew's mom & Philip's mom (in the background on the futon)
Maggie's & Olivia's mom

On a more fun (or CRAZY) note, we DID spend the night to get into preschool at St. Pauls. We were fifth on the list. Stone's 5 little friends were 1-4 and 6. Jenifer, Kelly, Kim, Lauren, and I made a night of it, ordered Outback around 6pm, watched movies, and got Starbucks around 9pm. It was an interesting evening, but all in all, we're glad we did it. By 7pm Sunday night (yes, we were there at 1:30pm on Sunday!!) all the 3day a week 3 year old slots were full. Would I do it again? Probably...

Carrots

What is it with carrots? Why don't I like them? I have tried to make myself like them time and time again, but I just can't do it. I really would like to eat them for my deteriorating eyesight, but I just can't bring myself to like them. Every time I try and eat carrots, they almost gag me.

I had some carrots today at lunch, but I did okay since they were soaked in Ranch dressing - which brings up a good question. Should I eat them for their nutritional value when I'm soaking them in salad dressing made of not-so-good products like mayonaisse and oil? Am I counteracting my desire for good health by soaking a nutritionally high valued food with fat? Something for a good doctor to answer maybe...

Does anyone have any great tricks to making carrots not taste like carrots while not devaluing their nutritional properties? Just a question.