Olympic-Mania

An actual conversation posted on Mr. Bean's Facebook wall.

Note: AB is from Norway and friends of the extended Bean family. There has been a Norway versus USA rivalry going on for years with the Bean siblings and AB. There is no Kraft Mac-n-Cheese to be found in Norway, apparently.

AB: So who do you think will win the most medals in the Olympics...? :)

Me: And so it begins.... Certainly not Norway. :)

AB: Hmmm. A bit too early to say Mandie...Perhaps we should make this interesting? I've run out of Mac and Cheese... ;)

Mr. Bean: So far it's U.S.A. 0 - Norway 0.

Mr. Bean: Correction: U.S.A. 2 - Norway 0.

Me: Another correction: U.S.A 4 - Norway 0.

AB: Just keep in mind that the population of U.S.A is about 309 million while Norway has 4.5 million.... But congrats on your 4 medals! I'm really "happy" for you! :)

Mr. Bean: Just keep in mind that Norway has about 309 million tons of snow while the U.S.A. has 4.5 million. So, yeah, I gotta say I'm feeling pretty good about the four medals so far.

Mr. Bean: Hey, Norway got a medal!

Mr. Bean: ...and so did the U.S.! 5-1 now.

Brother Bean: Not to mention that the medal came in an event the US has never medaled in before.

Waiting for Sister Bean (Who is no longer a Bean since her wedding) to chime in. AB is in Norway, so I'm going to assume she's sleeping and unable to reply to all the madness.

Answered Prayer

Yesterday, I told the story of our oven's carbon monoxide problem. Today, the repairman made a house call to evaluate the cost of repairing our oven. Verdict: get a new oven. The repair was going to cost almost as much as the oven itself cost us 5 years ago.

When Mr. Bean came home, I broke to him the bad news of the broken oven and unwelcome guest who had been or is currently living under it. Mr. Repairman told me it was "a creature women tend to not like" and left it at that.

I threw up a few hail Mary prayers. You know the kind that go like this, "Well, Lord, we can't afford a new oven right now. I suppose you already know that. So, as we set forth on our adventure, please pave the way with good sales and 0% financing for 12 months." Of course, on the way out the door, I updated my Facebook status to read I am "open to any and all of your oven buying advice as it seems we are in the market for one. We can use our old one if we want to die of carbon monoxide poisoning. We are opting to purchase a new one." I had a few replies of suggestions of brands and off we went.

What we wanted at store #1 was unavailable until December 12. We could not gamble waiting that long since we start our parade of holiday parties on December 13 and I have a large amount of baking to do.

At store #2, we settled for the next best thing which did not have all the features we wanted. The price was lower than at store #1. They offered free delivery and haul away. The installation cost was only $20 and we could get 0% financing for 12 months. So, we bought it.

We got home and the following comment was on my Facebook status, "We have one you can have! Ask my mom about it." Figuring it was worth the phone call and vaguely remembering talking to his dad about them having this stove sitting in their garage post-remodeling looking for a new home, I called.

It the the exact brand and color we were hoping for. It also has all the features we want, they are willing to deliver it and take a look at our visitor situation under the current oven. All we have to do is find someone to help us install it. Luckily, a mutual friend of ours is a handyman. Check, check, check, check, check and check. The best part of the whole deal is that its FREE. Oh, yeah. That's my kinda deal.

I'm out $70 for the repairman's fee, but that's a small price to pay for getting the thing replaced. I don't know how much our handyman friend will charge for installation, but it will be much cheaper than the cost of a new oven.

It is amazing to me that even the small things we bring before the Lord matter to him!

Rescue 911

Remember that show? They detailed stories of real emergencies, reenacted them, and highlighted the heroes who saved the lives of the people being profiled. I could have been on an episode of that show tonight!

I got a phone call around 6:15 pm. I didn't recognize the number or the name. I answered anyway and heard heavy breathing that was obviously coming from an old person. I said "hello" several times before I got a response. The old man said, "I think I'm having another heart attack!" and continued with his heavy breathing.

My response was, "Sir, you have the wrong number, but I am going to call an ambulance for you." Heavy breathing continued for 10 or 15 more seconds while I grabbed my cell phone so I could continue to talk to him. He hung up just as a 911 operator answered the phone.

I gave the operator the phone number from my caller ID and the name associated with it. Then, I got to work on Google. Found out the number was coming from a local retirement community. I Googled the last name and our city and found the Facebook page of this man's son. I confirmed it was the right person via photos on Facebook where the dad was tagged and looked to fit the mold of someone who might be having a second heart attack. (He was pictured with an oxygen tube and tank and was obviously elderly).

I left a message on the answering machine for the son. Hopefully they were able to connect, and hopefully Glenn is okay!

If I hear any updates, I'll be sure to let you know.

Rate My Day

Mr. Bean's Facebook status yesterday:

Rate my day--Pros: Friend bought us lunch, got a nap, went to birthday party of another dear friend, curry rice for dinner. Con: Stepped barefoot in String Bean's poop.

A Vote For Me

Mr. Bean and I both have facebook pages where we enjoy keeping up with family and old friends. Recently, I've gotten pretty lazy about posting photos to mine. When he does all the work of captioning the photos and tagging the people in them, why should I duplicate the effort?

Since Mr. Bean has been uploading photos to my page for me, we've had somewhat of a competition about who gets more photo comments. Usually I do because my album is newer therefore higher on the list that your friends see.

Last night, Mr. Bean uploaded an album, but refused to upload it to my account since he wanted all our mutual friends to comment on his album instead of mine. Since he had only 7 comments in 24 hours, he went ahead and uploaded the album to my account a 17 minutes ago. I already have 9 comments. He he he. Sucker.

I told him that his status update should read, "A comment on my album is a vote for me. A comment on my wife's identical album is a vote against me. You decide."

And for your viewing pleasure, one of the uploaded photos from that album:

Photo by Mr. Bean

String Bean considers a career at Steak-n-Shake, but reconsiders when she realizes it involves wearing this hat, Guy (in her left arm) can't go to work with her and does not involve coloring the whole shift long.

Grape Extravaganza

I typically cut up 30 or 40 grapes at a time and fill a small tupperware container with them so I don't have to cut the 3 or 4 that String Bean will eat at every meal and dirty up a knife and cutting board multiple times a week.

The ENTIRE tupperware container I cut up the other day has gone untouched until today. In the 15 minutes I've been sitting in my rocker checking my email and facebook, String Bean has eaten almost the entire thing!

This is truly amazing feat from a child who never eats more than she absolutely has to. It helps when you aren't in your high chair and you have a little chair just your size to sit in I suppose.

Now to look forward to some dirty diapers with lots of grape skins!

Oh, and congratulations to my friend Emily on the birth of her daughter, Rory!

Blast from the Past

My old college roommate is here visiting this weekend. We had several other college friends come in for a cook-out and to reminisce before Beth leaves for the mission field with her husband, Justin. They expect to leave for Croatia in June-ish.

We enjoyed sharing old college stories, "what are they up to now" moments, and comparing notes on our own lives for the past 9 years. What was interesting is how our lives intersected in college and how they continue to intersect in various ways now even though we do not see one another regularly.

Since we are all friends with one another on Facebook, we've managed to keep up here and there, but Facebook is no excuse for a real face-to-face conversation, although it is better than no communication at all!

Forming an Opinion

We host an Academy Awards party every year for my husband's co-workers (and a few of his college friends). His friend, Chris, summed it up with his facebook status when he said:

Chris is looking forward to the Oscar evening festivities. I never know what to think about politics, religion or society until Hollywood tells me what to think.

Although his facebook statuses are nearly always tongue-in-cheek, there is a lot of truth to this statement. Many Americans are simply in awe of celebrities and will think and do whatever they think and do.

As the saying goes, "If you don't believe in something, you'll fall for anything."

Status Updates

Actual status updates by my Facebook friends today:

Chris is not superstitious, but he's a little stitious.
Anna has a boulder in her shoulder.
Lindsey is becoming a Tide snob.
Don is playing with the lawn sprinkler in the freezing night.
Chonelle is wondering why you are acting that way???
Amanda had a blast pretending to be a tiger.
Brandon is trying to help Joan catch Wrigley, the cat, for his ear medicine.
Wendy just fixed the mouse...after blaming Karl for breaking it.
Amy thinks it is funny that her office has put a webcam in the kitchen to catch people who haven't washed their dishes.
Michelle is eagerly awaiting the check the government is sending me! I love tax season--free money!!
Ann thinks she could pass out from the fumes in the house--epoxy injections are good for water, but bad for noses!
David is pretending to work.
Denise is a strong and graceful oak.
Ben lost a battle with the treadmill last night.
Jodi loves to sweat to the 80's.

I love reading the status updates as it really gives you a peek into the lives of your friends and what kinds of things they are up to!

Reunited

17 years ago this summer, I was 13 years old and embarking on a new adventure with Teen Missions International for a summer mission trip to the Ukraine. I met my 30-some teammates in Merritt Island, Florida for training before we jetted off to a small church in need of some construction help. We ranged in age from 13 (I was the youngest) to 19 plus our 5 leaders who went along with us.

Just recently, I found one of my teammates. We created a group on Facebook so we could connect all our old teammates and share memories and photos. A few weeks later, another friend found me. Together for 4 hours last night, we jotted down names of everyone we could think of (with the aid of some photos) and started looking for them.

As of this post, we have found about a third of our team. We've already had several people scan and upload photos from the trip and memories are flooding back to us.

Isn't the Lord good to let us reunite with our brothers and sisters this side of heaven?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Amy already wrote about what she's thankful for this year. I thought I'd take my turn and make a list of all the things that I am thankful for in 2008.

• String Bean. She's a constant source of joy and my love for her gives me a small glimpse of God's great love for me.
• Mr. Bean. I know I am a lucky woman to have a man who cooks, cleans, does laundry and chauffeurs us around. My friend Amy (the other Amy) reminds me of this on occasion. She's right. I'm lucky and thankful for him not because he's my husband or because of the things he does for me, but because of who he is.
  
• Marriage. Having a guy like Mr. Bean has made marriage such a wonderful experience. I'm more in love with him now (6 years after our wedding day) than ever. Not only do I have a great guy. I have a great marriage.
  
• Met needs. With the economy in the toilet, I am constantly reminded that having food on our table, all our bills paid, and money to go to Starbucks occasionally while staying out of credit card debt is truly something to be thankful for. *Knocking on wood that our cars (that are paid off!!!) continue to be healthy.*
  
• Employment. Mr. Bean and I both love our jobs. Mr. Bean is living the dream having a job he looks forward to every day. My job is not always exciting. It is rarely glamorous. However, the people I work with are fantastic and I enjoy having the flexibility to work from home occasionally, flex my hours as I need to, have my summers off, and do a variety of work. I also enjoy the freedom Mr. Bean has given me to keep my pinky toe in the workforce (I only work 12 hours a week during the school year). I have much respect for moms who are able to stay sane and be stay-at-home moms 100% of the time. I'm at 92% and that's about my limit to keep from going insane. Mr. Bean saw that I was hard wired differently than other women and would be a better mom by having some adult time every week. Thanks, Mr. Bean.
• Friendship. This year I've struggled with friendships. It is quite a long story, which I won't bore you with. Here are a couple highlights: My friend Aimee moved to Jerusalem which was sad for me, but with her moving it brought me closer to my co-blogger, Amy and the other Amy. All my friends are named Amy. I met a visitor at church on Sunday named Amy. Is it wrong that I immediately thought, "Oh, this girl could be a great friend to me!" I've also had the chance to reconnect with some old friends this year (Thanks, Facebook!) and look forward to rekindling those relationships.
• Family. My in-laws live in town right now (usually they are all the way over in Hawaii). It has been so great to have them in the area (for reasons other than free babysitting, too). My parents have been able to visit a lot this year. I think it has something to do with String Bean, but I'll pretend they just want to see me. We've also been able to connect with our cousins this year (Thanks, again, Facebook!) and have felt their love. It has been a good year for family.
  

There are lots of other things I'm thankful for, but these are the big ones. You are probably tired of reading this post now and you have better things to eat do. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all enjoy your turkey (or tofurkey) and the love and fellowship of friends and family today and (hopefully) this weekend!

Random Thoughts for Today

I'm stealing this blog posting idea from my friend Emily. Here are my thoughts for today:

• The dishwasher is running and it sounds like it is about to take off (as in fly).
  
• I got allergy shots today and my arms are itchy.
• String Bean got a flu shot today (part 2 of 2) and screamed. She recovered from the ordeal in about 20 seconds. Now you'd never know she got a shot.
• String Bean and I went to our polling place and there was no line at 11:45 am! We both got a sticker for doing our civic duty. As of this post, String Bean has not taken hers off, yet.
• Mr. Bean hasn't been in his office all morning.
  
• My mom and sister went to the polling place together in Alabama this morning. Apparently their votes for the presidential candidates canceled one other out.
• I love that my new watch tells me the date!
• Babies that eat corn don't digest it very well.
• Most of my Facebook friends have a status update about voting today.
• My friend, Christy, spells Savior the British way: "Saviour"
• String Bean has learned to brush her own hair. It is very cute, but she needs more practice before I let her go out of the house like that.
• I haven't taken allergy medication (or cold medication) in almost 2 years thanks to pregnancy and nursing.
  
• I can feel the winter dry skin approaching already.
• My living room floor is filled with board books.
• I'm really in the mood to decorate the house for Christmas, but it is a bit early. Maybe I'll just wrap the presents I've already purchased instead.
• I wonder why the Fisher-Price Noah's Ark does not have a monkey.

As Seen on my Friend's Facebook Wall

So when (insert child’s name here) was telling (insert husband’s name here) about his day this evening he said that while we were at Dr. So-n-So's he saw "Trader Joe." After some explaining, I think he now understands that your son's name is just "Joe."

Hijaking My Sister-in-Law's Friends

Facebook, which has revolutionized how I relate to people, made me "friends" with my sister-in-law's friend. We look at each others photos and ooh and ahh over our kids. Of course, I just have String Bean, but my sister-in-law's friend has two cute kids. A boy and a girl. Her daughter is 6 months old. String Bean is 11 months old, but just a runt. We both secretly have been eager to get them together to see how much bigger my sister-in-law friend's baby is than my own bundle of joy. Here is where my evil plan began: I decided to hijack my sister-in-law's best friend.
After all, once she becomes friends with me, she'll forget all about my crazy sister-in-law!

We arranged to meet at Ikea today for some 50 cent hot dogs and bargain shopping. I woke up this morning to find String Bean's nose running and all kinds of snotty goo glued to her upper lip. Disgusting. I decided I needed to talk to my target for hijacking and let her decide whether my evil plan would go forward. She didn't answer her cell. I left a message:

Me: Sister-in-law's friend who I am secretly hijacking, String Bean woke up this morning with a runny nose. I don't think she's sick, I'm pretty certain it is just because she is teething. Do you still want to go to Ikea today? I didn't want to make the decision for you by showing up with my potentially sick kid. Let me know!

After a couple hours, Sister-in-law's friend who I am secretly hijacking called back. Long story short, her kids just got over a cold and she didn't want to take the risk. We'll have to reschedule.

I hope I get a second chance to hijack her.

Note: String Bean might just be sick. She's coughing now and has watery eyes in addition to the snotty nose.