South America – Day 171

I can’t believe its been 11 days since I posted anything.  It really hasn’t crossed my mind for the last few days.  I have been consumed by projects that need to be done before Derick comes home.  Early Monday morning, my sister, Kendra, left for Japan for 2 weeks.  I have been staying at my parent’s house since Sunday night.  I came here to watch the Super Bowl.  I thought it may be easier to come here and then spend the night rather than have to drag them home late and try to get them in bed in a timely fashion.  That did not sound like fun!  Well, I planned to go home today, but now its really snowing so I doubt if I’ll make it tonight either.

I think I’m just gonna give a quick update of the past week’s events, besides staying at my parent’s house.  I’m teaching Bible study at church.  Last week went really well.  I feel totally unqualified but in a way, I guess that’s a good thing.  I keeps me from getting overly confident in my teaching abilities.  If anyone learns from the study, its all God and none of  me.  Today, I opted not to go, however.  Peoria Christian called off school and Christian stayed home.  I thought for a while that I was being a wimp and just bailed out of teaching today.  Then I actually ventured into Peoria for a doctor’s appointment and lunch at McDonald’s.  Now, I am so glad I didn’t try to drive from Brimfield to Tremont this morning!  I actually saw a semi run a red light through the intersection that I was about to drive through.  Thankfully everyone was paying attention and didn’t move until the truck passed.

Yesterday, my friend Susan came over and we did major cleaning on the first floor of my house.  I am almost embarrassed to write about it.  I let my house get so messy (dirty) sometimes.  Then I feel too overwhelmed (paralyzed) to do anything about it.  So, I have had to swallow my pride and let people come over and help me clean while Derick has been gone.  I left my kids with my mom and went home to clean my house.  Now the whole first floor looks amazing.  Plus, last week my parents came over and helped me clean my boy’s room.  Then my dad moved the cradle and the changing table out of my room, fixed the crib and officially moved Brody into what appears to be the dorm room for boys in our house.  Aida, being the only daughter, still has her own room.

Kendra worked most of last week trying to get her stuff packed up so she could move out of my house before she left for Japan.  It didn’t work, but since most everything that belonged to her is now gone, maybe I can solicit some help to get her bed out of my basement.  That way I can get some organizing done down there in the next 3 weeks.

The main project that I want to get done is my bedroom.  I don’t need to paint it.  I wouldn’t want to anyway because my room is the entire upstairs of my house and it would be a MAJOR project.  I would like to get new curtains, bedding and a slip cover for my chair and ottoman.  If I have time, I wouldn’t mind painting the (tiny) master bathroom.  I just want to make it a private place of refuge for Derick when he returns.  He has had no privacy since he left and I think that is what he would appreciate most.

I think that is all the updates for now.  Oh, the other thing I did was visit Tricoci University to check out their teacher training program for cosmetologists.  It looked like a great school with a great program but very expensive.  The tuition is $9,000 for 4 months of school.  Plus the first 7-10 weeks are done in Chicago and there is no student housing.  So, I’d have to stay in a hotel 3 or more nights a week.  Also, very expensive!!  The idea was that maybe I could do the teacher training and be a cosmetology teacher.  That way I would still be employed in my chosen profession, but really I would rather teach it than do it all day.  Plus, it would be steady hours and a guaranteed income instead of variable just doing hair.  But if I did that, I would rather go to Oehrlein School of Cosmetology and then teach at Oehrlein School of Cosmetology, my alma mater.  The waiting list for teacher training there, however, is 20 names long.  When a school only trains a couple at a time, and it takes 4-8 months to get through, that is potentially a 3-5 year wait.  *sigh*  I guess either God’s gonna preform a miracle and get me in now, or that’s just not in his plan.  So, for now, we wait on God’s plan and God’s timing.  I just had this hair-brained idea that I could earn an income when Derick is in school this fall by teaching.  But, maybe not.  I’ll turn in my resume anyway, becauseh I can’t get in if I don’t apply.  But, I guess it is something that I’ll put on the back burner for now.  That’s ok.  Its more important for Derick to get through school right now than for me.

So, that’s life in the Uhler household for now.  I would love to have visitors to keep me busy for the next 3 weeks but if you come, expect to be put to work.  (Actually, that’s not true.  I’d rather sit around, talking and drinking coffee than work!)  But, come visit me anyway.  But don’t forget to kiss your husbands before you do!