Tag Archives: dts

May10

Ahhh…vacation

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Ahhh…vacation

I am in Oklahoma sitting in the lobby of our resort on the resort computer because so far nobody’s awake enough to decide if we’re going to pay for wifi in the condos.  The best part is I’m still half in my pajamas, my  hair is all tangled, and I have no makeup on whatsoever.

I’m surprised they haven’t kicked me out yet because I look terrible, y’all. 

But I’m on vacation.  So I don’t care what I look like. 

It’s cold, rainy, and otherwise disgusting outside.  This does not concern me at all because:

  1. I am on vacation
  2. I am not in Dallas (although I like you Dallas people and I might miss a few of you)
  3. I am on vacation
  4. I am on vacation

Joey and I didn’t realize just how worn down we were until yesterday after his Ordination ceremony at church.  It was like we were giant balloons in the Macy’s parade and someone pulled the plug and all the air started going out of us.  (Let it be known that I deflated much quicker than he did.  I deflated in 10 minutes, he took about 7 hours.)

He’s not awake yet.  He may not wake up until 10.  I slept basically awful last night (what’s new) and still woke up at 7, but didn’t see any point in trying to go back to sleep.  So I poured myself an inch of coffee, ate a cinnamon roll, actually remembered to take my vitamins, and decided to come out here to say I AM ON VACATION.

The amount of postage on this blog will entirely depend on who (if anyone) ponies up the $16.00 required for interwebby access in our condo for the week.

I should probably consider taking a shower and brushing out my hair now.  Nobody really wants to see me looking like this in any pictures that may be posted on this blog later.  Guaranteed.

And they’d probably appreciate me getting out of their lobby looking like this.

May5

Antics

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Antics

I told Joey I made made a blog post in which his name was mentioned.  I usually tell him when I post something because he is NOT allowed to read over my shoulder but he lurks around and leans on the bar or sits awkwardly on the couches until I click “publish” and then he kicks me off the computer so he can read it.

He’s always been this way.

Anyway, I told him to go read it and he’s all, sweetness and light!…even though he knows that half the time I make trouble and compare his commencement “regalia” to a dress, or something else equally suspect.

So he reads it and and tells me he is “glad I am back to my usual antics again.”

And I was all, antics?  What antics.  OH, YOU MEAN WHEN I TERRORIZE YOU.

It’s why he married me, Internet.  I have always terrorized him.  I think he likes it.  The first interaction we had was me saying, “weird bike, can I try riding it?” and then nearly wrecking his recumbent bicycle because I couldn’t figure out how to steer it away from the light pole.

I’ve been feeling all blah and meh and HOALY COW JOEY IS GRADUATING NOW WHAT DO WITH DO WITH OUR LIVES lately, thus the level of antics and terror I have been putting out has been minimal.  (As have postings on this blog, come to think of it.)

It’s all about to change.  I can feel my groove coming back.

Joey, watch yourself.  I know where you live…

May5

The Man Needs A New Lunchbox

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The Man Needs A New Lunchbox

Couplea years ago, Joey received a fantastic care package from his mom for the first day of school.  Inside, it contained a Spiderman lunch box.  Joey was like, HOLY COW THROW AWAY MY OLD LUNCH BOX! and he’s never looked back.

Well, about six months ago I decided I should probably bring up the fact that the lunch box has started smelling horrible and the lining is torn in several places.

It went over about as well as if I had suggested he cut off his left arm.  “I’m not getting a new lunch box,” he told me.  “This is the lunchbox I want.”

So I cleaned it out and tried not to breathe whenever I’d pack his lunch.  (Yes, I pack his lunch for him just about every day.  He likes it.)  Every time it would smell exactly like this really cool pink Lillian Vernon lunch box I had when I went to INCA for second and third grade.  I loved it with all my heart because it had two little pockets on the front (so cute!) and I think Mom let me pick it out from the catalog.  But every day that thing would smell more and more like old bologna sandwiches and by the time Mom pulled me out to homeschool me, I never wanted to smell that lunch box again.

Please take note that I have never fed Joey a bologna sandwich and I never will, so help me.

A couple of months ago, when we were standing at The Container Store looking for hooks to hang the All-Clad measuring cups Joey got me for Valentine’s Day (we got skunked…we’re still searching for the perfect solution), Joey looked sideways at me in his sheepish fashion and suggested we have a look at the lunchboxes.

“Um, WHY?” I asked him.

“Because I think I need a new one,” he mumbled.  “You’re kind of right that mine is falling apart.”  And it has served its purpose well, he’s carried it every day for at least two years if not three.

We turned the corner and stood in front of the display of lunchboxes and I pointed out the kind I wanted to get for him.  The black, neoprene goodness that CAN BE THROWN IN THE WASHING MACHINE!  (I think this will help greatly with the smell.)

“None of these have Spiderman on them,” Joey said as he looked at the display.

“Well, no, that’s definitely true.”  I’ve checked, they don’t make Spiderman neoprene lunch boxes.

“I don’t want any of these.  Or can you sew a Spiderman on to one?”

I thought about it for a few minutes and told him I probably could attach a Spiderman patch to the lunchbox like I did with his laptop sleeve, but it would have to be kind of small.

Joey stood there, weighing his options, and then finally decided that he didn’t want to spend $20 on a lunchbox after all.  “We can get it later,” he said.

There is a point to my story.

The point is (and I grant you that it took me awhile to get around to it) that I woke up at 35 minutes before my alarm was to go off this morning for some reason, so I got up and did kitchen stuff which included packing Joey’s lunch.

The lunchbox smelled super bad this morning, y’all.

And after I packed it and set it by the front door so he wouldn’t forget, he groggily got up and told me that he already had lunch plans for the rest of his life, basically, and he didn’t need a lunch for about, oh, two weeks.

I think I may ask him if I can get the black neoprene lunchbox now that he’s about to graduate on Saturday.

New phase of life, new lunchbox?

One that is washable?

May4

“Regalia”

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“Regalia”

When I graduated, I called the black graduates robe a “robe”.

When Brother graduated, I snorted and smirked and said, “Oh look, you’re wearing a dress.”

When Sister graduated, I was unable to attend because nobody would let me get on a plane. (jerks) So I didn’t get to say anything about her getup.

The Kid hasn’t graduated yet.  But you can guarantee when he does I’ll make fun of him for something.

When Joey graduates, he’ll be wearing “regalia”.

All week long he’s been talking about his “regalia” and getting sized for it and picking it up and such.  Well, today he walked in the door carrying the aforementioned “regalia”.

Part of me wonders if he has said the word “regalia” so many times to try to brainwash me into not calling it a dress like I did to Brother.  The issue is open for debate.  I just looked on the DTS website and it’s plastered with the word “regalia”, so maybe that’s just what it’s actually called.

Or maybe that’s what DTS calls it so nobody’s all “oh look, you’re wearing a dress.”

Anyway, the point is, JOEY IS GRADUATING.  It’s official or they wouldn’t have let him bring him home his dress, I MEAN “REGALIA”.

And Th.M. grads get fancy-pantsy hoods and what looks like a bunch of other stuff to wear over their robes.  I had a little look-see at it earlier and was quite impressed.

Then I came out here and wrote this.

Soon I am going to go watch TV.

But you don’t care about any of that stuff do you.

May2

HE PASSED!!

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HE PASSED!!

I totally knew he’d pass, but Joey just nailed his Ordination exam at church tonight.  I’m very proud of him.  It’s a weird feeling; all his classes are finished and I think he’s got his final GPA and everything, and this exam is now complete.

He is done.

DONE.

We still have to schedule the ceremony, so no idea when that will be.  He’s not officially Rev yet.

We went to I Heart Yogurt to celebrate with our friends Josh & Laura, who were total champs and sat through the entire exam with me (although on the other side of the room because I was greedy and sat in the comfy chair) and now Joey’s going to make me watch this documentary with him.  It’s called It Might Get Loud, and I think it sounds mega boring.

I guess he’s earned the right to watch a boring movie if he wants to though, right?

Apr29

Thoughts I Thought Upon Achieving Only 9 Days Left Until Graduation

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Thoughts I Thought Upon Achieving Only 9 Days Left Until Graduation

The paper chain that I made back when there were 50 days until graduation used to go from the ceiling to the ground and make a decent sized pile on the floor. Several days ago, I stood under the chain and realized it was now above my head. Today, it is above Joey’s head. After this weekend, I won’t even be able to reach it any more. (!!!!)

You should all know by now that I love paper chains with childlike intensity. It is unlikely to ever change.

I wondered how I’d feel when we ever got to The End of Seminary. This morning, after thinking about it, I decided that I feel…LIKE, SO RIDICULOUSLY GREAT! I could jump up and down all the time! And scream HOLY COW HE IS FINISHING! And maybe even roll down a hill. Twice. (Even though I hate the feeling of dizziness and nausea that you get once you finish rolling down a hill.)

I’m proud of Joey for making it. I may even be a little bit proud of me for making it too.

And Henry? Nah, I’m not proud of him at all. He’s too lazy.

Apr24

Two weeks from now…

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Two weeks from now…

Our next two weeks are going to be a whirlwind.

One week from tomorrow, Joey’s sitting for an an examination that, once he passes, will make him an Ordained Minister of the Gospel, to borrow Baptist phraseology with which I am somewhat familiar due to my college education.

And two weeks from today, Joey will no longer be a candidate for the degree of Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary…he WILL be a graduate of DTS, and we will have the paperwork to prove it!

Ka-boom.

And then we can take a deep, deep breath…and relax.

Jan10

The 2009 Burning Par-tay

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The 2009 Burning Par-tay

So, maybe y’all remember that 2009 was NOT OUR BEST YEAR AROUND HERE.  And if you are new around these parts, then Hi! and yes, 2009 sucked like our Hoover Wind Tunnel.

But we in this Woestman house try to turn our lemons into lemonade whenever possible.  It may take us three to six months to be willing to put forth the necessary effort to make said lemonade, but we will do it.  Just you watch us.  So we needed to have a party.  A kind of party where we burned something, because I like burning things.  OH!  A 2009 burning party, of course!

I decided I’d either burn IVF paperwork on how to give yourself injections or a leftover pregnancy test.  (UNUSED pregnancy test, of course.  Gross.)

With that in mind, we invited our two bestie DTS couple friends who have each had a rough, nay; I’d go so far as to say HORRIBLE year as well.  And, honestly, without these friends we wouldn’t have survived our year.  That day in May I was having lunch with Laura when Joey came rushing over to find me at Potbelly so he could take me back to the hospital, and Luke & Becca watched our little Henry for us for I can’t remember how long while I was in the hospital.  They did these things for us, and so much more over the last many months.  We have no immediate family down here, but with friends like these it becomes more OK to be so far away.

These friends have totally gone above and beyond the call of friend duty.  We totally love them.

Sometimes when I think back on all the amazing ways that our friends and the people at church have helped us, I feel totally lame.  I feel like I have been so caught up in MY stuff and MY pain that I have forgotten to be there for my friends when they might have needed me.  Here’s hoping that in 2010 I can figure out how to have a hurt soul and still pour into other people selflessly.

Because that is NOT easy.

Anyway last night we had a mini potluck and they each arrived at the door with some delicious food item, and SOMETHING TO BURN, BABY.

I set the lemonade on the table (because, yes, I had made lemonade for the party because I thought that it seemed appropriate) and we sat around and ate, and laughed, and talked and played this game called…what was that game called?  Querkle?  Yes, Querkle.  I EVEN WON ONCE ON ACCIDENT.

I never win anything.  Not even games I’m good at, because I talk too much and don’t pay attention.  Same reason I’m bad at fishing.

Anyway, Querkle is kind of like Scrabble with shapes and colors instead of letters.  (I’m still undecided if my Mom would like it or not – she’s a Scrabble aficionado – and I tried to figure it out for the entire game.  But I think she would because it’s a game that would be good for homeschooling, and Mom likes pretty  much everything that is good for homeschooling.)

After two rounds of Querkle, it was time.

TO BURN.

Becca took charge of the camera either by accident or on purpose, because there are no pictures of either Luke or Becca.  You will just have to imagine you know what they look like, unless you are one of the lucky people who actually DOES know what they look like because you are friends with them too.

And as far as Laura goes, If I posted one of the two pictures we got  of her last night she would unfriend me on Facebook if I posted on this here blog.  And I don’t want that to happen.

So.

Mostly it’s pictures of Joey and I BURNING OUR 2009 STUFF.

First Luke & Becca their list of dreadful 2009 things.  It was pretty long, Internet.  They couldn’t think of any one thing to burn, so they just made a list and threw it on the fire and with a quick pffffffft, it was down to ash and glowing embers and was gone.  If only things could really disappear that quickly, right?

Then, MY TURN.

First, I burned our IVF schedule.  I wadded it up and threw it on the fire and POOF, there it went.

Then I burned the Presby Infertility 101 packet, filled with information about the different kinds of tests they could perform, complete with the really creepy descriptions.


GOODBYE CREEPY DESCRIPTIONS.


Then Joey burned the IVF Retrieval & Transfer instructions.  That Retrieval day was the most stressful day of my entire life, so let me tell you I was glad to see those puppies go up in smoke.

The waxiness of the paper made a very impressive display when Joey threw it in the fireplace. It pleased me, considering how much stress and ulcer-inducing tension had been all tied up in the instructions on that paper.  And the crazy thing is?  WE HAD DONE EVERYTHING PERFECTLY.  And it still didn’t work.  So…

…BURN BABY BURN!

Next up, Josh & Laura.  Josh burned the Three Year Th.M. plan from DTS and we all laughed really hard while we watched it go up in smoke.  Because that’s how the Three Year plan pretty much always goes, you try to do it and you’re about there…and the last year your life GOES UP IN SMOKE. Incidentally, Joey and Josh and both been on the Three Year Plan; neither one of them is pulling it off, either.  Those summer sessions burn you out.

Four years is good enough for all of us, I tell you what.

And, with that, 2009 is symbolically behind us.  I’m so ready for 2010.  I’m ready to be excited about something again. I’m ready to see what’s around the next corner.  I’m ready to look back on 2009 and figure out what I was supposed to learn from all of this.

I can almost see it, too.

Nov12

Christmas Card

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Christmas Card

We’re finally doing a Christmas card.  We haven’t done one since we moved.  I’m trying to think of a way to summarize this year.  My ideas so far:

  • This year has been total crap
  • We are glad 2009 is over
  • If I ever have a year like this again, I will color all over my face with blue permanent marker

As you can see, so far nothing has been working. I can’t get very far without it devolving into something less than filled with holiday cheer.  This is probably NOT the year for us to get back into the Christmas card game, but we’re doing it anyway.

That’s why we’re doing a post card – that way we can’t get too specific that way, can we?  And I should be able to come up with something…maybe.

I feel kind of preemptive about the whole thing, since it’s, what, November 12?, but I’m trying to get the legwork part all finished before we do transfer or retrieval so I can lay on the couch and slap stamps and address labels on these babies while I watch movies and lie still.

Laura’s taking our picture tomorrow at lunch, so I gotta find something to wear.  ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE ALL GOING TO SEE IT. Last night I was going through my closet looking for shirts with long sleeves.  We all know that when taking pictures, you should wear long sleeves (according to the placement office at DTS) and so I’m all down with that.  But I didn’t find anything I liked.

This may mean a trip to find a shirt tonight.  I like shirts as much as the next person.

Oct17

Amigos

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Amigos

We have lots of friends down here, and I’m super thankful for every one of them.  I am sure that Joey and I would be locked away in that old-timey Kirkbride mental hospital in Clarinda, IA had it not been for our friends.

Josh and Laura have been two such great friends.  I was eating lunch with Laura on May 15, the day after we found out we lost our baby, when Joey came to find me to take me back to the hospital.  A couple of days later, Josh and Laura visited us in the hospital and brought us beautiful flowers and encouragement.  A couple months ago, we had an apathy party at our house and we ate frozen pizza on paper plates and had leftover cupcakes for dessert.  (Never in my born days did I imagine I would be able to have people over and serve them LEFTOVER DESSERT.  But that’s how comfortable we are with these two.)

They are as ready to be done with seminary as we are, which is a total bonus.  And since Wilkerson and Woestman are kind of close together in the alphabet, maybe Joey and Josh can stand next to each other in line to get their diplomas at Commencement in May.

But I’m getting all distracted.

Sometime this summer we watched Josh and Laura’s cat.  I really like their cat, but it kind of hates me and would rather chill with Joey.  (Incidentally, Joey thinks the cat is cooler than I am.)  Josh and Laura were sweet to give us a Mattito’s gift card in exchange for feeding Kitty.  When we went to use it, though, we discovered that the dude who rang it up put $50 on it more than he should have.  Um, surprise?

We had tons left over on it.

So we decided we should take Josh and Laura out for dinner with the free money.  We hit up Mattito’s where we of course ate too much, then we went to NorthPark to watch Julie & Julia.  (Poor Josh, not his movie choice at all.  But he was very sporting about the whole thing.)

After dinner and before the movie, though, Laura wanted to test out her new point and shoot she had just gotten that day.  She emailed me the picture today, and I could not resist posting it.

2009_09_18 Matts w Woestmans