Some pictures from life

Jared sang at the Salisbury national day of prayer prayer breakfast at the civic center, but the video isn't loading.  So you will have to imagine that for now. 

 Jared sang on the Huckabee show the week of my birthday.

 Jared sang at the Shorebirds a couple weeks later.

Jared sings around the house ALL the time.

Jared is singing at the Salvation Army start of their football season on Saturday.  He sang there last year and they asked him back.

These are some quilt blocks that I have been meaning to do something with.  Jared pulled them out on Monday and arranged them for me (not like the picture - I failed to take a picture of the final result).  I sewed all the squares together and put on the boarders.  Now I just need to quilt it (my plan for tomorrow night). 

When I had shoulder surgery in 2005, Mrs. Shelton bought me this puzzle to play with.  I have always loved changing the triangles around and coming up with different combinations.  Well, Jared and I were playing around with this the other day and we had tried several different combinations before we came up with this one.  I saw this one and I said, "it would be fun to make this a quilt." Jared replied, "a Christmas quilt!!!"  And that is how the following quilt came to be. 

 Here is the quilt. The funny thing about this quilt is that Jared cut all the blocks and sewed them together.  The only thing that I did was quilt it and sew the binding on.  When I had the flu, right before Sarah's wedding, we started to pick out the fabrics.  Jared was so excited about the quilt that he cut out all the squares and once he was finished that and saw that I wasn't moving off the couch, he asked how to use the sewing machine. Jared has hemmed and altered his own pants, so I am not surprised that he can quilt too. 

 Closer shot and a picture of my foot (for Anna).

 The quilt draped over one of our chairs.

 Another close up.   I love the bright colors and can't wait until Christmas to be able to hang this on our wall!!!  YAY!!

 This is the back of the Sarah and Josh quilt.  That is all I am showing you until they see it. 

 Here are some doodles of the back of the Sarah and Josh quilt.  I had to sketch everything to calculate the sizes and boarders that I need.

And this is another doodle of the Sarah and Josh quilt.  Once again, this is the back.  You will have to wait to see the front.  I don't think I even have any pictures of the front right now.  ha.  My goal is to have it to them by Christmas.  It is not that long to wait until you will get to see it.  :)  I can't decide if I like the Annadrew quilt or the Sarah and Josh quilt better... I guess that is a good thing.  I love them both.

I am headed to bed now.  Thanks to the neighbors for the free Internet.  It is super slow, but it let me post pictures.  Yes. 

Today at work I was audited by two guys from France.  I am not sure that we understood each other completely, but it seemed to go well.  I had to explain everything that I was doing in my department and how I keep records and track everything.  Thanks to my Dad for making me write everything down and stopping me from doing things in my head.  There have been many times that I have been tempted to do things in my head and not document them, but it always seems to turn out better when I can track and find everything that I have done.  It is much easier to repeat what I need to repeat and avoid what I need to avoid. 

My department is slowly shaping up to be quite a great place to work.  I am starting to have all my own forms and documents that I can start to use over and over again.  At first I was reinventing the wheel each time, but now I can reuse some of the things that I have created. It is nice.  I am looking forward to next year.  There should be a lot going on next year.  They are looking to grow my department by about 8 or 10 more people.  It is going to be crazy; it is going to be awesome.  I am going to love it.  I am going to get so much done.  I can't wait!!!

Plus, I mean, how can you not love chocolate peanut butter stuffed cupcakes?!?  And how can you not love pizza parties and fried chicken picnics for the winners who have the highest audit scores? It is our goal to make people smile as much as possible.  I think people are starting to understand that we are there to help them instead of feeling threatened by change. 

I love my job.  I am so thankful for it. God is so good to me.  I NEVER NEVER NEVER thought I would find a job that allowed me to use so much of my degrees and that let me have this much fun on the Eastern Shore.  That whole year of misery that I spend in their engineering department was all preparing me for running this department.  I often asked Jared why I had to work at such a boring miserable job, now I know.  I am able to relate to some many things because I used to work with them.  And I am so thankful for a boss that talks to me like a normal person and for co-workers with a sense of humor and employees that do what they are told and want to do a good job and interns that follow directions and are creative. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love my job.  I never thought I would be able to say that.  God is great.  Follows are the words to a wonderful old hymn.  It is so true and has been such a comfort to me since the days during college.  I know the igrace tune to this song (if you haven't listened to igrace music yet, you need to head over to their website RIGHT NOW and buy all their cds -- my kids are going to be raised on igrace, Judy Rogers, and GT and the Halo express, I am just saying, they are that good, they never get old and really, how can you beat the words of hymns (unless it is scripture, in that case, go buy some gt and the halo express cds)?  Go buy yourself some igrace and be blessed greatly!); that is where I first heard it. I just love the words.  I listen to this hymn often.  Praise God for his goodness and grace. He gives us more than we could ever hope or imagine.  He is awesome.  

1.Sometimes a light surprises
The Christian while he sings;
It is the Lord who rises
With healing in His wings;
When comforts are declining,
He grants the soul again
A season of clear shining,
To cheer it after rain.

2.In holy contemplation
We sweetly then pursue
The theme of God's salvation,
And find it ever new;
Set free from present sorrow,
We cheerfully can say—
E'en let the unknown morrow
Bring with it what it may.

3.It can bring with it nothing,
But He will bear us through;
Who gives the lilies clothing,
Will clothe His people too:
Beneath the spreading heavens
No creature but is fed;
And He, who feeds the ravens,
Will give His children bread.

4.Though vine nor fig tree neither
Their wonted fruit shall bear;
Though all the fields should wither
Nor flocks nor herds be there;
Yet God the same abiding,
His praise shall tune my voice,
For, while in Him confiding,
I cannot but rejoice.